A State Of Becoming
by The Raider
Summary: Season 2 AU. At the end of their battle, Angelus turns Buffy into that which she fears most. A vampire. With a world of possibilites before them, the pair slowly make plans to overtake Sunnydale. Can the rest of the Scoobies save the Slayer, or will they be destroyed? COMPLETE!
1. Siring

**Alright, well, if anyone remembers, I once had a story on my account called "State of Becoming" which was an AU involving the idea that Angelus sired Buffy at the end of "Becoming, Pt. II" instead of having his soul restored. I took that story down because I couldn't really get back into writing it, but since I loved the idea alot, I decided to rewrite it, and this is the first part of that rewrite. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon. I'm just playing in his sandbox**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The swords continued to clang against each other as Buffy and Angelus continued to exchange blows with each other, the sound of their battle echoing off of every possible surface within the Mansion. Behind them, the ancient demon Acathla stood silent, the feelings that surrounded the air around it betraying any sense that Angelus' ritual had failed. The demon had laid dormant for centuries, but that was all threatening to change within a single moment.

Ducking away from another one of the vampire's attacks, Buffy quickly brought up her own blade in order to block another slash from her opponent's sword. Trading blows with Angelus for a moment more, she quickly managed to move a few feet away from him, allowing her a few moments to catch her breath before he was on her again, his sword never once letting up in its intensity.

As the sword's blade slammed into the ground in front of the Slayer, sparks momentarily scattered across the floor before they disappeared, the battle that spawned them continuing on nevertheless. Again and again their swords connected, the sounds from the battle filling every inch of the mansion around them.

Her mind focused on only the sword in her hand, Buffy matched Angelus' every movement, making sure that her defense was unbreakable, if only for the moment at least. Still, she knew that eventually he would realize that neither of them were getting anywhere in this stalemate. Sooner or later, one of them would have to give in and try something risky, as dangerous as the move would be to either of them.

As both of them pressed the battle outwards into the abandoned courtyard, their swords never once stopped their deadly passion-filled 'dance'. Twirling around on her heel, Buffy slashed with her blade, barely managing to suppress a smile as her blade made contact with Angelus' shoulder. Still, the small victory was over within seconds as the vampire struggled back onto his feet, his blade once again becoming nothing more than a blur in his hands. Little could stop an enraged vampire, a fact that Buffy was no doubt aware of.

Going in for another attack, Buffy was caught off-guard as Angelus pressed forward with his own, attacking her with enough intensity that she almost left an opening in her defense. The vampire's attack never once stopped for a moment, the intensity pouring off of his concentration showing in the style in which he timed his attacks. Rapidly running out of room to back up into, she nevertheless continued to defend herself, the adrenaline in her system allowing her to almost match her opponent's speed entirely. _Almost._

Her mind still focused almost solely on her sword, she didn't see his fist flying towards her until it was too late to dodge it or at least move to soften the blow. As the full force of Angelus' fist slammed into her body, she felt her sword fly out of her hand, the sound of the steel weapon hitting the ground assuring her that she was almost utterly defenseless against her enemy.

As he stood over her, Angelus twirled his sword around in his hand, mocking her with his usual sadistic grin on his face. Backing herself up against the wall behind her, Buffy watched as he continued to walk towards her, his pace almost a casual stroll, his sword never leaving his hand in the process.

"So this is how it ends, no friends, no weapons…_no hope_." He said, holding the tip of the blade just inches from her face. "Take all that away and what's left?"

"If you're going to kill me, _Angelus."_ She replied, nearly spitting his name. "Then do it. I hate long waits." Looking down at her, he smiled.

"With pleasure." Raising the sword above his head, he began to bring the weapon down towards her head, the blade slashing through the air, and then, it stopped just as suddenly as it had began, his body unable to finish bringing the blade down completely. _Come on, come on, what the hell's wrong with me?! _

Raising the sword above his head to regain the momentum that he had lost, he again brought the blade down towards the Slayer's head, the blade still stopping only inches away from her skull, the steel of the blade touching a few stray hairs on the girls' scalp. Pushing every inch of his strength into his grip on the sword, he still found himself unable to drop the blade onto the girl's skull, the very idea sending waves of rage coursing through his body. This had to be Soul Boy interfering again, trying to push his way back into control.

Stepping back, he grabbed Buffy's sword off the ground and tossed it to her, the Slayer catching it just as she opened her eyes. Brandishing the weapon as she returned to her feet, Buffy looked back at him, confusion coursing through her eyes.

"You can't do it, can you?" She asked, her tone betraying no single emotion.

"Let's just finish this." He replied, rushing towards her with his sword held at his side as he prepared to attack. Raising her own, Buffy easily dodged his attack, and smiled at her foe before she began her attack.

"_With pleasure."_

* * *

_"Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte."_ (I implore you, Lord, do not ignore this request.) Willow chanted, her head bowed slightly with her eyes wide open as they continued to look straight ahead. Beside her, Cordelia and Oz looked on with a mixed feeling of shock and worry, not knowing exactly what was happening. Putting down the sage that she had been waving earlier, Cordy gently pushed the hair out of Willow's face in order to look into her eyes.

"Will? Snap out of it!" Turning her gaze to Oz as Willow continued chanting in the ancient language of the curse, she had a mixture of fear and shock in her eyes.

"What do we do?" She asked him, genuine fear in her voice, her eyes turned towards the orb that lay in front of Willow.

_"Nici mort, nici al fiintei..."_ (Neither dead, nor of the living...)

"What…what's going on in here?" Someone said, his arrival being met with further looks of shock from Oz and Cordelia. As the doctor called out into the hallway for more medical personnel to come in and join him, Oz was already on his feet as the doctor rushed over to Willow's side, his hand shooting out for the orb situated in front of the red-headed girl. Rushing to her own feet, Cordelia reached over in order to protect the orb from being moved, her shoe bumping into one of the legs of the bed, the action being enough for the orb to fall out of its holder and begin to roll off of the table towards the floor.

"Oz, grab it!" She screamed, reaching out with her own hands in an useless attempt to grab the object, her palms slapping uselessly against the table in the process. Unable to even make an attempt to grab the orb, Oz watched uselessly as it fell to the floor and shattered into thousands of pieces, the faint glow from it spreading out into the air for only a moment before it disappeared. From where she was seated, Willow screamed, her red hair falling out of her eyes before she tumbled backwards onto the bed.

"Both of you get out of here before I call security!" The doctor yelled, his eyes ablaze with both concern for his patient and fear at what he had caught them doing. Even though Sunnydale did in fact sit atop of a Hellmouth, that didn't mean that all matters concerning the supernatural were welcome with everyone in town. Holding up his hands in a false symbol of surrender, Oz made a quick escape from the room with Cordy on his heels.

"Something tells me that Sunnydale's population is about to get a lot thinner." He said, breaking the silence once they entered the otherwise quiet hallway. Turning back to him, Cordy found her mind drawing a blank.

"What do you mean?"

"Well the spell was stopped before Willow could complete it. That means Angel's soul wasn't restored."

"And if Angel is still Angelus…"

"Then Buffy's still in danger."

* * *

As she ducked underneath Angelus' blade for the untempt time, Buffy could feel the sweat rolling off of her body, her body almost completely exhausted from the battle. As the vampire unleashed another furious assault against her, his blows were matched in speed and timing by the Slayer. As she countered, she allowed herself to smile as part of her blade connected with Angelus' body, the specific part unknown to her in the confusion of the battle. As the blade cut through flesh, some of the blood that splattered outwards from the wound flew towards Acathla, eventually landing around the demon's mouth with no pattern to the splatters themselves. Gradually, the sensation that had surrounded the demon earlier began to subside, silently signaling that Acathla had been stopped yet again.

Raising himself back to his full height, Angelus gave a moment's notice to the wound before he turned back to the Slayer standing only a few feet away from him, his eyes almost instinctively gathering on her neck. The blood of a Slayer was one of the most purist forms there was, and there wasn't a single vampire that didn't hunger for it at some-point in their undead lives.

"So, how does it feel to bleed for once?" Buffy asked him, holding her sword out in front of her incase he decided to attack her again. As he looked back at her, his face broke out into that sadistic grin that was all-too familiar to her by now.

"I was just going to ask you the same question." He replied, gesturing to the wound on her right arm, a small stream of blood surrounding the cut. Never taking her eyes off of him, Buffy reached over with her free hand and gave a quick look of disgust when the unmistakable color of blood appeared on her fingertips.

"You know, I just want you to know that you're probably the best girl that Soulboy ever had. Not to say that he was very successful in the romance department, but still, it was fun to watch you underneath him."

"Shut up." She replied, holding her sword out in front of her as he started to approach her, his pace slow and unthreatening.

"Oh, what is it? You don't like knowing that I was there the whole time, watching from the back of that pansy's mind? Let me tell you, that's the truth, and it was very entertaining to say the least."

"I said shut up!" She answered, the strength in her voice momentarily breaking as he continued to come closer to her, her sword now only inches from his chest.

"What Slayer, are we a little shy? Don't like the idea of having someone watch your first time?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Buffy screamed at him, her voice spreading out through the Mansion. As she raised her sword, Angelus rushed towards her, his hands shooting upwards towards her throat, the tactic catching her off-guard. Her sword falling to the ground, Buffy curled her hands into fists, her blows hitting the vampire's back without doing any real damage. As Angelus slammed her body into the ground, his hands never once loosened their grip on her throat.

"Trust me Buff, I'll be shutting up soon enough." He said to her, the poison in his voice almost sending shivers down her spine as she struggled to breathe. Slowly he inched his face closer towards her neck, Buffy still struggling to try and force him off of her, her efforts doubling when she realized what he intended to do. Even before his fangs broke the skin surrounding her jugular, she could almost feel the pain beginning to course through her body. She was still fighting to push him off of her, but with his full weight ontop of her, it was a useless gesture.

'No, damn it, get off of me! I don't want this!"

"Don't lie to me." He replied, meeting her gaze in the process. "You've wanted this ever since you found out the truth, because a tiny piece of you wants to know what its like to have all the blood drained out of your body."

She cried out for a moment when he finally bit into her, the pain from his fangs breaking into her skin almost unbearable. As she felt the blood begin to drain out of her body, a strange numbness came over her, the entire sensation making her feel somewhat at ease. It was almost as if she could close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep, the world around her meaning nothing.

Angelus continued to drink for a few moments before he stopped, wanting to make sure that he hadn't killed her. The Slayer was almost completely unconscious as he picked her up in his arms, her hair falling around where he had bitten into her. The wound was still bleeding slightly, but not enough to endanger her of completely bleeding out. As he continued looking down at her, he started to chuckle slightly.

Oh, he was truly going to have _fun_ with this.

Walking off towards the slightly ajar sofa that had once adorned the main area of the living room, he carefully set her down on it, the Slayer's eyes were barely open although he knew that she was still watching him. Kneeling down onto his knee, he watched her, her golden blonde hair adorning each side of her face.

"Angelus?" She said, her voice practically nothing more than a whisper.

"Buffy…" The vampire started before Buffy finished her sentence, effectively interrupting him.

"_Bastard._"

"You know, Buff, I feel like being generous today. So you know what? I'm going to save your life, because trust me, I could easily kill you."

"Then…do it.." She whispered, her voice starting to fade with each passing second.

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that? After all, if you were dead, I wouldn't have someone to play with. Besides, this way I could never lose you." The line ran through her mind, her barely conscious mind slowly began to put the pieces together, the realization of what he was going to do sending fear coursing throughout her body. He was going to_ turn _her, the same exact thing that Darla had done to him a century earlier.

She watched as he slowly rolled up the sleeve on his shirt, and taking the sword that was lying by his side into his hand, he cut a thin line through his skin, his blood quickly emerging from the cut he had made. The red liquid started to roll off his arm, a small droplet falling to the floor silently. Moving his hand behind her head, he pushed her mouth towards the thin line of blood.

The Slayer tried to summon the strength to return to her feet, but Angelus had drained too much of her blood, effectively depleting her body of its strength. With one final try, she managed to wiggle her way out of his grip, but he simply just grabbed her head again, once again pushing her mouth towards the cut he had made across his arm. As her lips met the cut that he had made across his arm, she couldn't stop herself from swallowing his cold blood as the liquid flowed down her tongue and into her throat. It made her want to gag, it was positively the most disgusting thing she had ever tasted.

Almost immediately his blood began to burn through hers, infecting and destroying any shred of humanity left in her. She swore that her skin was on fire, and she tried to scream, although she could make no sound escape from her throat. She could feel her entire body beginning to shut down, the warmth that she had felt earlier rapidly evaporating. Angelus was still at her side, holding her even though he had already done what he had intended to do.

That was when he did the unthinkable, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek, the very action repulsing her. Her soul was being ripped from her body, and here he was trying to take advantage of her situation. Closing her eyes, Buffy felt the world fall away from her touch, and everything around her faded to black.

* * *

_The grave-yard was almost entirely silent as she continued on her patrol, the stake in her hand held with a loose grip. It had been an almost uneventful night, with not even a single vampire electing to show its face . As the moonlight continued to cast its gaze down at her, Buffy sighed and leaned against a nearby tombstone, letting the silence of the entire area wash over her._

_"Quiet night." She said silently, tossing the stake up in the air and catching it with her hand. Nothing replied to her statement, with barely even a breeze to keep her company. The night air itself was cold, being that it was almost November now, the nightmare that was Halloween already past, this year having happily lacked the excitment that the last year had held. Going against another demon that held the majority of his power on a holiday had been enough to last a lifetime._

_Looking up at the full moon, she held her gaze upon it for a few moments before she turned and headed deeper into the cementary, trying to keep her thoughts on her patrol, even though they continued to constantly drift towards Angel, the vampire that she had, against all odds, found herself falling for. She herself hadn't ignored the irony in the realization. A Vampire Slayer falling in love with a Vampire? Dramatic irony there_

_Xander had already spoken out against it, which had been no big surprise considering that he still danced in her shadow for her favor, even though he knew that she would never fall for him. A small part of her felt sorry for him, considering how many times he had been burned in the love department. _

_As she heard a branch snap behind her, all of her thoughts vanished, and she turned on her heel almost immediately, her stake raised and ready in her hand._


	2. Awakening

**Well, here's the next chapter of the rewrite. From here on out, I'm pretty much changing alot of stuff around from the original version, so be prepared! Also, I would like to thank everyone's who reviewed so far. I wasn't sure that this rewrite would get as many views as it has recieved, so I thank all of you for that! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The room around her was almost completely silent, with not even the sound of the weather outside leaking into the room. Opening her eyes, Buffy could feel her entire body erupt into pain as she became aware of the numbness in all of her limbs, some of it a remaining side-effect from her dual with Angelus. Hissing slightly, she almost instantly regretted her action as her sore limbs erupted into more pain than she had felt before. Still, she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position, doing her best to shrug off the pain.

"Well, good morning, sleeping beauty." She heard someone say, her mind recognizing the voice almost instantly. Twisting her head to the side amongst the pain that she was feeling, she caught sight of Angelus sitting in a chair near the bed she had been sleeping on. The look on his face was almost peaceful, if that was the right word to describe it.

"_Get away from me_." She snarled at him, the sound of her own voice shocking her slightly. She felt cold, and it was that feeling that she felt coursing through every inch of her body. She already knew what he had done, having been barely conscious when it had happened, her non-beating heart enough to attest to the fact that she was no longer human. More than anything now, she wanted to kill him, even though she knew that her body was currently in no state to do so. All he would have to do would be to deflect her blows, and then she would be powerless against him, or anything that he wished to do.

"Such a fire. I _like _seeing that part of you."

"Just wait till I get back on my feet again, and then you'll see how much you like it." She answered, already forcing her body to move. As she tried to swing her arm forward to in order to curl a fist, Buffy heard the sound of chains rattling reach her ears. Casting her gaze to her right side, she found her arm shackled to the bed's frame, the feeling of the cold iron around her wrist only adding to the lack of warmth in her body.

"Sorry about that. You've been sleeping for a few days now, and for some reason, you were swinging about wildly, probably something to do with what you were dreaming about. I didn't want you to hurt yourself, so I just took some _precautions_."

"I'm _touched_, I really am." Buffy replied, turning her wrist in an attempt to find some way to unlock the cuff, or possibly even break it off. Pulling against it slightly with her wrist, she felt the pain erupt inside her body almost instantly. From her left, she could hear him chuckling slightly as he watched her struggle against the iron clamped around her wrist. "Now would you please get this thing off of me?"

"Interested in leaving so soon?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm hurt."

"I quite frankly don't give a _damn_ what you feel. _Let. Me. Go." _The words had barely left her lips when he started to approach her, his walk slow and his stride full of amusement. Continuing to pull against the iron chain, her strength slowly beginning to drain out of her body, Buffy never once took her gaze off of Angelus as he walked towards her. As he finally stopped in front of her, he leaned down closer towards her, his face only inches from hers.

"And where do you think you'll go?" He said, his brown eyes staring directly into hers. "You really think your friends will want a vampire Slayer who's a vampire? I'm sure that would be good for a laugh or two."

"They'll take me back. They're my friends. They won't care that I'm a vampire."

"_Friends_." He snorted, fighting back the urge to laugh in her face. "You've seen the way they treat you, how they talk about you when you're not around. Or at least I have."

"You're lying." Buffy said, turning her head away from his unceasing stare. Reaching out, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look back at him. "You have to be."

"Am I? Maybe you just haven't realized that I'm right. They're _jealous_ of you, of all the power you have, everything you have that they _don't_. It makes them jealous, even if they don't let you see it, it still burns underneath their skin."

"I…"

"You see it, I know you have."

"And you're a better alternative to them?" She asked, her face hardening for a moment with resolve.

"At least I understand you. You and me, we're of the same breed. What burns in your blood burns in mine as well." He answered, a certain emotion in his voice that she had barely ever heard him utter before now. "You can't tell me that you don't feel it right now, at this very second."

"And what if I don't?"

"You're lying to yourself, and to me."

"_Am_ I? Can you tell that from the way I'm looking at you? From the way my thoughts are coming up with all the possible creative ways to kill you? From the way I'm 'wired' now?" She replied, the anger she was starting to feel continuing to build in strength. "Of all the ways I've wanted to just take you out along with myself, just so I could end everything that I've felt over the past few months? Can you tell that?! _CAN YOU_?!"

"Go on, let it all out, I'm not going anywhere." He replied, his tone as calm as it had been only minutes before, the anger in Buffy's tone not affecting him in anyway.

"I _hate _you, and yet, you wear the face of the only person I've ever truly loved. Do you know how terrible that makes me feel?" She continued, the anger in her voice having reached its highest level. "How when I look at what you are, how I think of how I wasted a year loving _you_?"

"And now I've changed you." He answered, getting back onto his feet and taking a few steps back towards the chair that he had been sitting in. "Would seem that we have forever to be together, you can at least thank me for that."

"Are you at least going to take this stupid chain off?"

"Just pull on it. It's not locked." Looking down at the iron clamped around her wrist, Buffy closed her eyes for a moment, and pulled, the sound of the iron snapping away from the bed's frame being her reward.

"And you couldn't have told me that earlier?"

"Where would the fun have been in that? It's fun to watch you act like a caged animal."

"Oh?" She replied, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and slowly getting back onto her feet, her stature weak at first before her strength quickly began to return. "Is that so?"

"So, are you going to attack me? I'm always up for a good fight." His gaze never leaving her, his face changed into that of his true form, a demented smile accompanying it.

"So am I." She answered, his own face changing with such speed that it looked as if she had been a vampire for a number of years, instead of the hours that it had been in reality. As she continued to step towards him, her lips broke out into a smile.

* * *

The interior of Giles' home was almost utterly silent, the only sound coursing through the air being that of the record player continuing to play softly in the corner of the room. the song being a remnant from the early 1970s. The lights throughout the room were also turned down low, giving the illusion that the bulbs were close to burning out entirely. Holding a cup of tea in his hand, Giles closed his eyes for a moment, trying to push the pain that still lingered in his body out of his immediate thoughts. The more he thought about it, the more it would hurt. Better to just ignore it.

It had only been a day since they had last seen or heard from Buffy, and that fact alone continued to weigh heavy on every person's mind in the room There had been no further activity from the Mansion, or at least, as far as they knew. Until they heard from Buffy, it would only bring more trouble to check and see if the Mansion lay deserted. The only thing they remained certain of was that Acathla had indeed been stopped, considering that the world around them still existed.

"Someone please tell me that I'm not the only one here that has that '_Something's not quite right here' _feeling." Xander finally said, breaking the silence that existed between the three people situated in the room at the moment. Looking up from the book she had been buried in, Willow stared back at her oldest friend.

"We shouldn't worry, I mean, Buffy has to be alright, I mean, she's the Slayer. She's been in dangerous situations before."

"With Deadboy? Wills, I hardly think that smooching with him in the school while they were possessed would count as being a dangerous situation."

"But, still, she's more than capable. I mean, how did she look when you caught up with her? Did she look determined?"

"More than I've ever seen her look before. But that doesn't change anything. Something still could have gone wrong, especially considering that your spell thingy was interrupted before it could be completed. No spell, no soul for Angel. Which equals bad things for Buffy."

"Willow is right." Giles added, opening his eyes and looking at the two teenagers. "Buffy is indeed the Slayer, which means that she had a better chance at fighting Angel than any of us would have."

"Still, I feel like we're missing something from our list of possible situations."

"And which scenario would that be? Take all of these thoughts away, and Buffy is still not here. And no endless list of situations is going to change that."

"Giles, it'll be alright." Willow said, reaching out and laying her hand over the Watcher's arm. "Buffy's going to be fine. If she really killed Angel, then she would have wanted to be alone for a while. She loved him, even if he was soulless."

"And it's that love that led to them getting fleshy with one another and losing his soul in the first place."

"Xander!" Willow said, slapping his arm in the process.

"What?! It's true!"

"Still, it's not her fault! She didn't know!" As the red-headed girl finished her sentence, all eyes turned towards the door behind them as the tell-tale sign of it opening broke through the air. As Oz walked through the door, Giles' heart dropped slightly into his chest, his hopes having been high for a moment as his mind envisioned Buffy walking through the door, with everything returning to 'normal'. He knew that it was only a fantasy, considering that it was already known throughout town that the local police were looking for her, thinking her to be the cause behind Kendra's death. Everyone in this room knew that to be the exact opposite, but their opinions didn't really matter considering the grand scheme of Law Enforcement.

"Any news on Buffy?" Oz asked as he stopped for a moment beside Willow.

"None." Giles answered, setting his cup of tea down gently on the end-table beside him. He was still trying to make the aching feeling in his chest stop, his hope having been up for only a moment, but even that was too much. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he loved her as if she were his own daughter. Having gone so long without hearing from her was threatening to stress his body more than it should be, considering the torture Angelus had inflected on him only hours before.

"Still, I'm sure she'll be alright. We just have to give her time to get over Angel's death." Willow added, smiling as Oz took a seat next to her wheelchair. As Oz sat down, Xander pushed himself up from his own seat, walking around the couch and beginning to head towards the door, giving a casual wave to the other occupants of the room.

"It's a little late, I'm gonna go home and grab some shut-eye. You can imagine how_ thrilled_ I am about the whole 'School isn't over' thing."

* * *

As she pulled her lips away from Angelus, Buffy's face changed back into that of its human form, a pout starting to grow across every inch of her features.

"I'm hungry." She said, looking into the other vampire's eyes from where they lay only a few inches away. Almost as if on cue, a small pang of hunger erupted in her stomach as the words had barely left her lips, causing her to hiss slightly from the pain.

"We can easily fix that." He answered, setting Buffy down onto her feet and reaching for his duster. "You want a boy or a girl?"

"It doesn't really matter. I just want _someone _to eat." She replied, giving a small smile in his direction shortly before another hunger-pang shot through her insides. "God, did it hurt this much when you were sired?"

"Trust me, once you have warm blood flowing down your throat, you'll forget all about it. I know I did." As he handed her a jacket, both of them set out into the cool night air, the moonlight above them lighting most of the land in front of them. The night air itself was slightly cold, despite how fast summer was rapidly approaching.

"I imagine so. Still, your words aren't quenching my thirst any quicker." As the words left her lips, the two vampires faded into the night, as if they had never existed.

* * *

The grave yard was completely engulfed in silence, the moon light still bearing down on every inch of the ground below. As they continued to gaze down into the shadows that surrounded them, Buffy and Angelus said nothing to each other as they let their senses take over every part of their bodies. The smell of human blood was still faintly all around them, not sparing a single inch of air, and more than anything, Buffy wanted to taste the liquid as it flowed down her throat.

They had been here for almost an hour, and no-one had been foolish enough yet to walk through the otherwise empty grave-yard, the night beginning to grow closer towards its end. The hunger inside her stomach was constantly growing, to the point where her vision was threatening to turn red from the starvation. If she didn't find someone soon, she would risk breaking into someone's house and just feed on them instead. Either way, she was going to force this feeling to stop.

"_Oh, come on Heaven, it's only a short cut!"_ A voice said, cutting through the night air and making its way towards Buffy's ears, her senses going mad inside her body.

"_Yeah, straight through a grave-yard! Are you insane?"_ Another person added, the sound again echoing off of every tombstone and surface within the area around Buffy. Both voices were obviously female, and as the smell of the perfume they were both wearing drifted towards both Buffy and Angelus, the craving inside her stomach grew, the feeling of it almost entirely unbearable, even to a vampire. _They're so close… _She thought as Angelus rested his hand onto her shoulder, looking down at her with a devilish smile on her face.

"Which one do you want?" He asked, his gaze falling on her face as she smiled back at him, a look of pure hunger flowing through her eyes.

"_Both." _As the look of hunger refused to pass from her eyes, he turned her around in order to face her.

"Easy, hungry little vampire. If you just drop down on them, you won't have any fun. And trust me, that's what makes the blood worth-while."

"But they're so _close_…" She almost hissed in response, the hunger finally beginning to drive her mad, her vision actually starting to turn to a pure red color, the sight only adding to the hunger she felt.

"Don't worry, you'll be full soon enough. Now go ahead, show me what a great actress you are." He said, giving her a small smile before she dropped down from the mausoleum they had been perched atop. Making her ways towards the two teenagers, she momentarily took shelter behind one of the larger tombstones, the shadows effectively hiding her from view. Quietly reaching down to the dirt beneath her boots, she rubbed some of it onto her face, forcing tears to start rolling down her face in the process. Satisfied at how the scene would look, she looked out from her shelter and saw the two teenage girls walking only a few feet away. And then, she made her move.

"Help,_ please_…" She said aloud, making her voice sound tired and weak in the process. The sound caught the two teenagers attention and as they looked around them for its source, they spotted her, their expressions utterly priceless to the newly sired vampire. Both of them rushed towards her, their concern momentarily touching Buffy's non-beating heart. _Oh, I'm going to have fun with this…_

"Hey, just take it easy, what's wrong?" One of them asked, the girl kneeling down in front of her as Buffy continued to push the fake tears out of her eyes. "Look, just calm down, we'll help you."

"Y-You will?" Buffy replied, continuing to make her voice sound weak.

"Of course." The girl answered, giving her a kind smile. Smiling back, Buffy wiped the tears out of her eyes onto her sleeve. "Just tell us what you want us to do."

"Just stand still." In an instant, Buffy had transformed into her true self, grabbing the girl in front of her by the collar and pulling the girl's throat towards her mouth. As soon as she was within her grasp, Buffy bit into the girl's neck, the girl in question gasping as pain swelled through her entire body. As the red liquid poured down her throat, Buffy found the thirst in her stomach rapidly fading away as the girl's blood filled her stomach.

"Oh god!" The girl's companion screamed, scrambling on her feet in an attempt to get away, her shoes failing to find any traction in the dew filled grass. Leaning on the nearby tombstones for support, she started to run, gaining speed with each second. Ignoring her for now, Buffy focused on the warm liquid that she continued to drink.

* * *

The girl's heart-beat continued to increase in its intensity, constantly growing faster and faster as she continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her. Whatever that girl had morphed into, she had actually _bitten _Heaven, that thought alone filling her with fear for her own life. As the numerous tombstones rushed past her, her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a way to get past the wall that surrounded the dead.

Twisting her head back to what lay in front of her, she found only darkness awaiting her as she slammed into whatever now lay in her path. As she fell backwards onto the wet grass, the girl looked up at the shape of a man, his features obscured by his completely black attire.

"Tell me, now what's a pretty young girl like yourself doing in a place like this, at night no less?" He asked, giving her a smile in the process, the action filling her with dread for a reason she couldn't place.

"Please, you've got to help me! There was this thing and it attacked my friend, and its comingafterme." She managed to stammer out, the words beginning to clump together as a result of her fear. As she got back onto her feet, she grabbed at the man's jacket, continuing to plead with him, the images that she had seen only a minute before still rushing through her eyes.

"A thing? What did it look like it? Looks of spooky things go around at night."

"It, she,_ it_ looked like…like…" The girl started, searching for the right words to describe the creature she had seen.

"Like this?" He replied, his face changing into the same thing that the girl's face before had, the look in his yellow eyes sending yet another massive wave of fear through the girl's heart. Letting go of his shirt, she took a few steps back, preparing to start running again when she felt someone behind her, the person effectively stopping her from moving.

"Oh, Angelus, you found me a _present_, how _sweet_." Buffy said, her voice echoing only inches from the girl's ear, the action sending untold amounts of shivers down her spine. Trembling, the girl turned her head, her eyes meeting the other vampire's yellow pupils. The demon smiled at her, as if the two of them were simply long-lost friends of some sorts.

"Hello again, I don't believe we really had a chance to talk before, do you have anything you want to say before we, you know, _feed_ on you?"

"_Please_…"

"Oh, don't start with that shit again." Angelus said, rolling his eyes in the process. "I already had to listen to that speech."

"What do you want me to say?!" The girl screamed, tears now starting to freely run down her cheeks.

"Nothing. I mainly just want you to start running. If you're lucky, which I really don't think you are, you'll be able to reach the exit that's over there." Buffy replied, pointing over towards the wall of the cemetery, the gate of it hanging open slightly as the hinges squeaked in the wind.

"Please…" The girl started again before Buffy gave her a push in the gate's direction.

"Five" As the vampire started to count, the girl took off in the gate's direction, pumping her body for all of the strength she could muster. Her heart felt like it would explode inside her chest.

"Four." The gate itself was only a few meters away now, the sight of it growing closer and closer with each passing moment.

"Three." She felt like screaming at the top of her lungs as she reached out with her hand towards the gate that appeared only a minute away.

"Two." Her finger tips were almost able to touch the rusted metal of the gate, the chipped paint rubbing slightly against the very top of her fingertips.

"One." As her palm gripped the gate, she struggled to push it open enough in order for her to slip through, all of her thought and energy pressed into the simple task in front of her. Her heart was running faster than she could have thought possible.

"Nope, time's up!" She heard the vampire say, the sound reaching her ears only seconds before she tackled her to the ground, the wind being knocked out of her body. Struggling to breath due to the vampire's knee pressing into her lower back, the girl struggled for a few moments before she felt the sharp pain of the vampire's fangs breaking the skin on her neck, the feeling almost unbearable before the world around her direct vision began to fade to black.

"Oh, Buff?" Angelus asked, smiling as he watched Buffy retract her fangs from the girl's neck. "Save me some."


	3. Coming Apart At Every Nail

**Alrighty, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, and sorry about the delay in updating this. I was actually hoping to get this chapter up last Sunday, but then school kicked in, and things got hectic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I'm simply playing around with their characters. So don't sue.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The Mansion was almost completely silent as Angelus and Buffy laid on the bed, both of them caked in sweat despite the cold that ruled over their bodies. Angelus himself was asleep, his arm still wrapped around Buffy's waist, an action that would normally have been seen as a sign of affection between two lovers. However, the way he held her showed no gentleness that love held an image for in many people's brains. If anything, the gesture held nothing but passion and lust between the two vampires. He himself couldn't fully explain the feeling that coursed through his brain and unbeating heart when he looked at her.

Buffy lay awake, her hand covering her forehead as she stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts darting back and forth in her brain. She and Angelus had made love for almost an hour after she had made her first kill, the blood from the two girls still fresh on her tongue as they had kissed. The sensations she had felt afterward were better than anything she had felt when she was alive; making it even better than it had been on her seventeenth birthday.

It still felt strange to be in a body that was, for all intents and purposes, _dead_. The cold was the thing that was the most noticeable, the sign only inferior to her unbeating heart. She had been close to the fireplace earlier, the flames that had once warmed every inch of the building only days before now barely gave off a feeling that she could feel throughout her body. It took some getting used to, but it was safe to say that she was happier this way.

For the past months, she had dreamed of nothing but Angel, how it had felt to have his fingers on her skin, to feel his lips on hers. For weeks before Acathla had even been a distant thought in Angelus' mind, the desires that she had felt had only gotten stronger, almost to the point where she simply thought of having him end all of this, allowing him to drain her, simply to make the urges stop. But she hadn't, she had managed to keep herself together, convince herself that life was worth still living, and that if Angelus was still running loose in Sunnydale, everyone she knew and cared about would suffer because of it.

Letting her hand fall over the side of the bed, Buffy was motionless for a few moments before she began to move back onto her feet, wrapping one of Angelus' shirts around her otherwise naked body. The Mansion was filled with silence, the only other thing around her in the living room being that of Acathla, the ancient demon's form motionless and stone-like. It was highly unlikely that either of them would decide to attempt to unleash him upon the world again, but at least it made a nice decoration.

A fire continued to burn inside the fireplace, the wood that fed the fire slowly beginning to burn itself out due to the lack of attention it had received. Coming to a stop in front of it, Buffy cautiously reached out and laid her hand across the old stone that was the fireplace's frame. As her palm made contact with the stone, she felt a small thread of warmth spread through her arm, some of it managing to travel upwards and flow into the upper part of her body. Closing her eyes, she lost herself momentarily in the feeling, finally realizing why Angel had always talked of why he had liked to stand near the fireplace at his apartment. It hadn't been for light, it had been there so that he would have something warm to feel in his otherwise cold body.

As she let out a sigh that had no breath behind it, she felt Angelus' arms wrap around her mid-section suddenly, to which she leaned her head back until it met his shoulders. Neither of them said anything for the longest time, simply standing near the fire place as the blaze's warmth shot up through her body and eventually found its way into his.

"Comforting, isn't it?" He asked, finally ending the silence that had spread out through the room and infected every corner.

"Mhm." She said silently, enjoying the warmth flowing through her body. Letting her other hand fall upon the fireplace, she almost purred in satisfaction as the warmth again shot into her body. After a few days of feeling nothing but the cold inside her body, it was good to be warm again, if only for a moment. As she closed her eyes, she barely noticed the small signs in her stomach that she was hungry yet again. The blood from the two girls had kept her fed for a few hours, but now she wanted more.

"You hungry?" She asked, her head still leaned back against Angelus' shoulders.

"Starved. But we've still got about five hours until the sun sets." He answered, his breath falling on her ear as he looked up at the antique clock that lay in one part of the room. "And I don't suppose that you want to take up sun-bathing."

"No, but I'm hungry _now._" As the words were still fresh on her tongue, Buffy's lips morphed into a pout, her eyes somewhat betraying the emotion behind it.

"And just where is it exactly that you would like to go for dinner tonight?" The room grew silent for a few moments as Buffy scoured her memory for anyone that she would particularly have fun draining. Finally, as the name came to light, she smiled.

"I know just the person."

* * *

Shutting down the monitor on her computer, Willow slowly managed to wheel her chair back over towards her bed. The doctors had been insistent that she continue to use the wheelchair for at least a few more days, or at least until they were completely sure in their diagnosis of how much damage the book cases had done to her spine. She had been informed that they were almost completely sure, however, that there would be no damage, and that she would be walking normally in a few more weeks. Still, that didn't save her from the feeling of helplessness that she felt every time she thought of Buffy.

Her friend had been missing for close to a week now, and no matter how much the Scoobies tried to keep their spirits up, none of them were safe from feeling as if there was nothing they could do. Anyway it was painted, Buffy was gone, and no-one knew where she was. Until she returned or was found, all they could do was try to hold down the fort in the demon hell that was Sunnydale.

Giles had tried to maintain a strong exterior while he assumed leadership of the group, but it was obvious that he was hurting worse than any of them. He had lost so much over the course of the past year, including his beloved Jenny, one of the first victims to Angelus' bloodlust. To add insult to injury, the vampire had dumped her body into Giles' bed, leaving it there for the Watcher to discover on his own.

Buffy had told him something the day after, when they had stood over Jenny's tombstone, a declaration that she had later repeated to Willow in private. She had said that she couldn't hold onto the past any longer. That Angel was gone and he wasn't coming back. The only way they could move forward was to look at Angelus and realize that only the demon remained. Angel's soul had been ripped from him, and now only darkness and evil remained in its place. And destroying evil was what they were here to do.

It had been obvious that she was still in love with him, no matter what she had told everyone around her. There was no doubt in Willow's mind that there had been nights where Buffy had cried herself to sleep after a confrontation with Angelus', the constant taunts and punches finally wearing thin on her heart. He _lived_ to torture her, to make her break down, make her doubt herself. Killing Ms. Calendar had been the peak of that torture, for in that single moment, he had scarred all of them. He was a monster, the one with the angelic face.

Whoever had named him _'The Scourge of Europe'_ all those years ago had named him well.

* * *

"So, there's no trace of her anywhere, Mr. Giles?" Joyce asked, folding her hands in her lap as she looked up at the Watcher standing before her. It was still hard for her to imagine the man as anything but a simple librarian, and yet, he _was_ more than that. He was Buffy's guardian in a way, as crazy as the entire notion seemed.

"None. We have absolutely no idea what happened between both herself and Angel. She could be alive or…_dead." _Giles responded, taking his glasses off and wiping them using his shirt. He stopped before the word 'dead, the hesitation he felt extremely clear in his tone. The entire situation was awkward to him as well, with Joyce only having learned of his role a few days ago, amid a heated argument with her daughter. Family matters were nothing that he wanted to become involved in. Still, nothing had changed, and they had to move forward.

"So, you're telling me that she could be out there, hurt or dying, and you _don't know_?" She replied, the anger she felt feeding into her voice.

"No, I'm saying we're _unsure_."

"That sounds like another word for the same thing." In the blink of an eye, she was on her feet, obvious anger in her eyes. "So tell me, what _do_ you know?"

"I…"

"Because it sounds as if my daughter is out there somewhere, and all of you have done nothing about it. You figure that as her Watcher you'd take more responsibility."

"I've told you everything that we've discovered. I'm sorry I don't have more to offer you, Joyce." Giles calmly replied, gathering himself as he began to walk towards the door. "If we discover anything more, I assure you, you'll be the first to be notified." As the door closed behind him, the entire Summers house grew deathly silent. As she sat back down on the couch, Joyce closed her eyes for a moment, simply letting the silence flow over her senses. The house had been filled with that single thing since that fateful night that Buffy had walked out into God knows what. As she poured herself another drink, she could still hear the last words that she had said to her only child that night.

"_If you walk out of this house, don't even think about coming back."_

* * *

Inside the basement of the school, the sound of dripping water pipes could be heard over every inch of the otherwise empty and silent basement. Hardly anyone ever came down here, save for the janitors moving things down to storage, like old textbooks that the Board had decided to keep in case they would ever be needed again. Even then, the men hardly ever stayed down here for more than a few minutes, leaving it to be the emptiest place in the entire building.

As he moved the cover off of the sewer drain, Angelus quickly pulled himself up; satisfied that no-one was around to alert anyone left in the building. There was no need to give away their plan, at least not yet. After all, they came for blood, and it would be a shame to have come all this way and receive nothing for their efforts. Although it would be interesting to see how Buffy would handle the situation of a failed hunt.

As she pulled herself up from the dark and damp sewers, the young female vampire gave the room a second glance as Angelus searched for the stairs to the higher levels. She herself had only been down here once before, and even now she could see why. Only a demon who was suicidal would try to hide down here.

"Such a desolate place to put beneath a public school, isn't it?" She said, listening for a stray moment as her voice echoed through the room. Sticking her hands into her pockets, she joined Angelus in his search for entrance to the higher levels.

"Still, it has such a convenient access point for us. I'm surprised at that." He replied, beginning to walk towards a stairwell that looped around the wall and lead upwards to where the ground floor of the school was located. With luck, the man they had come to find would still be here. And if he wasn't, there was sure to be someone else lurking around outside that they could feast upon. With the night still so young, there would be endless possibilities.

As the two of them reached the door, he paused for a moment as his hand brushed against the door-handle. Turning around in order to fully face his mate, he smiled.

"Ready?"

"Just open the door. I'm hungry."

* * *

As Snyder closed the door behind him, he found himself allowing a smile to grace his features. Things had been relatively calm after Ms. Summers had been expelled, with even the murder scene inside the library having been hardly any problem to the entire school. He had taken extreme pleasure and satisfaction expelling the girl, having known that she was trouble from the first time he had seen her. His observation had proven correct over time, and one only had to see her file to prove his point.

As he passed the various trophy cases that were scattered throughout the main halls of the school, he whistled the medley a song he remembered fondly from his youth. All of the main lights were off inside the building, with only the backup lights running, which they themselves never turned off. It was rather late, with even the janitorial staff having left almost an hour ago. The only reason that Snyder had stayed late was to finish filing some necessary paperwork regarding Ms. Summers' expulsion. That alone had been worthy of musing over, and he took great pride in the fact that there would be one less trouble-maker in his school.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A voice sprang out from the darkness, breaking the silence that had surrounded him. Turning around, Snyder found himself joined by a young female, the upper-half of her body obscured by shadows. He recognized the voice never the less, the tone in it unmistakable.

"Ah, Ms. Summers. I was expecting you to come back sooner or later. Criminal returning to the scene of the crime."

"Well, you know me, I'm always hanging around."

"All too well. Still, that doesn't tell me what exactly you're doing here. I can't imagine it's because you want to pursue an education. After all, I'm sure that you'll learn everything you need to know in prison."

"Oh, don't give me that, you miserable little troll, you know I didn't do it. Still, I happen to have a question for you." Buffy replied, her tone mocking him. "Why were the doors to the school unlocked on a weekday? I'm sure it couldn't have been because the janitors weren't finished yet."

"Are you trying to imply that I had something to do with that girl's death?"

"You could say that, to an extent."

"Well, I'm afraid that you would be the last person I would tell." There was a certain confidence in Snyder's voice as he spoke, giving away the feeling that he was almost entirely certain that he would walk away from this encounter. The notion made Buffy grin slightly as she prepared her response.

"That's such a shame."

"So, what are you going to do now? It frankly won't matter soon anyway. I'm sure that you know the police have developed an interest in you as of late." As he finished, Buffy couldn't help but chuckle at the statement.

"Oh, what was it that you told me a few days ago? _The police in Sunnydale are deeply stupid_." She replied, the chuckle still running through her voice at a furious pace. "So I don't think that I have to worry about them for a long while. _You_, on the other hand, have _me_ to worry about."

"Are you seriously thinking about harming me? As if the police don't already have enough interest in you."

"Trust me, hurting you is the last thing on my mind at the moment. I was thinking of something more along the lines of _kill_." Snyder's eyes lit up at the mention of the word 'kill', and he nervously took a step backwards, his frame meeting the locked front doors of the school. Buffy could sense his fear, could actually_ feel_ it coursing into her body. Letting the sensation drive her, she took a step towards the man.

"What's the matter? Afraid you're going to end up like your predecessor?" She mocked, taking a few more steps towards the frightened principal, a smile on her face as the shadows continued to obscure every other detail on her face.

"Buff, are you done playing around with our food? My stomach's starting to rumble." Someone else said, stepping out of the shadows and making his way towards Buffy, eventually coming to stand at her side. He himself stared at Snyder, a smile of his own on his face, and his eyes bearing down on the man.

"Yeah, I think I've played around enough." Buffy replied, turning her own gaze back onto her prey. In the blink of an eye, her face changed into that of her vampire self, her yellow eyes 'burning a hole' into Snyder's neck. The man's face morphed as well, his original emotionless brown eyes replaced with an even more unsettling pair of yellow ones.

"_Oh, God_." Snyder said, his voice coming out as nothing more than an almost silent whisper. Turning quickly on his heel, he pushed furiously at the doors, only then realizing that they had been tampered with somehow, leaving him in what was effectively a cage. As his body flew back for a moment in one last attempt to push the door open, he felt someone else's hands grab him. It was only then that he felt the burning sensation as two sets of fangs bit into his neck, the feeling of his own blood leaving his body leaving him powerless. As his legs gave out from under him, the last thing he saw were two pairs of yellow eyes staring down at him.


	4. The New Slayer

**First off, I'd like to apologize for the long wait inbetween updates. I've been suffering from writers block, and this story was one of the hardest hit by it. But, now I'm back. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter. It's mainly just a rewrite of the original chapter, but I will be adding new scenes from here on out. After all, you can only rewrite the same stuff for so long before you get bored :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to the creative god that is Joss Whedon.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

As his car came to a stop at the red-light in front of him, Giles perked his up his ears as he heard the High School's name come floating out over the speakers. Reaching over with his one available hand, he turned up the police scanner that lay atop his dashboard. The volume turned up to a clear level, the Watcher laid his hand back on top of the steering wheel as the light ahead of him turned to green, and he slowly pushed the car back up to speed.

_"Dispatch, we have a Homicide at the high school. One victim, possibly more at the scene. We're securing the area until the body can be moved out."_

"They never learn in this town, do they?" Giles said, sighing as he finished his sentence. It seemed that no matter how many bizarre murder cases the local police force were confronted with, they would never realize that there could be something more out there than the usual collection of thieves and murderers. As the school's parking lot loomed ahead, he could already see the line of police at the main doors to the building, effectively preventing any of the student body from entering.

Shutting the door behind him, the Watcher had only taken a few steps before Willow was at his side, her steps cautious now that she was finally out of her wheelchair.

"Giles, what's going on?" She asked, switching her books to her other hand.

"There wasn't much to be heard on the police scanner. I assume they're as much in the dark as we are at the moment. They mentioned something about a homicide."

"Is it Slayer-related business?"

"In this town, when isn't it?" The Watcher replied, trying to look over the hundreds of students that crowded outside the entrance to the school.

"Don't tell me that was sarcasm I just heard, coming from Mr. Serious himself." Xander said, coming to stand at Willow's side as he rushed from the sidewalk towards the crowd. "That might be a sign of the world coming to an end."

"You could be starting to wear off on him." Willow replied, the joke having little emotion behind it. Turning away from the crowd, the Watcher gave a small nod to the two teenagers before he began to head back to his car. Silently, they followed him until eventually they arrived at the Gilesmobile, the Watcher reaching across the dash and flipping the police scanner back on.

_"The school is secure, sir. Still only one body, but I doubt we're going to find any more."_

_"Do you have a positive I.D. on the body?"_

_"It's that of a Richard Snyder. Only wounds on the body are bite marks on the neck. Seems like he bled out right on the floor in front of the main doors. It's a pretty gruesome sight."_

_"Just keep the situation under control. Don't let anyone inside the school until we give the go ahead."_

"Jeez, I hated Snyder as much as the next guy, but killing him?" Xander said, his voice drowning out the scanner. "That's just a little extreme. Even if I did think about it once or twice." As they looked back at him, Giles and Willow gave the teenager a strange look, one that instantly let him know they didn't get the joke he was attempting to make. "Just kidding guys, no need to call me psycho."

"Well, from the look of things, we're not going to be able to get inside the building. Willow, could you possibly access the city coroner's records at your home?"

"Yeah sure, as I've said before, I'm the only girl in Sunnydale with the site bookmarked." The red-head replied with a half-serious tone. Smiling, Xander wrapped his arm around his oldest friend.

"And you know we all love you for it."

"Still, does anyone find it strange that vampires are still striking against targets associated with us? I mean, wouldn't that stop with Angel and Spike disappearing?"

"That's not entirely true, Xander. Not all of the vampires inside the radius of the Hellmouth were underneath Angelus' control. I can only assume that whatever killed Snyder was a rogue."

"And without Buffy here, we're pretty much outnumbered ten-to-one." Xander answered, making a small stabbing motion with his arm. "Know any Slayers that could help us out?"

* * *

Inside the mansion, every inch of the room was either flooded with shadows or covered with light from the still burning fire-place inside the main room. To accompany the shadows, silence took hold of the air surrounding the place, with only the occasional sounds of pages being turned striking through its grasp.

"You know, we could add some mirrors in this place." Buffy said, his eyes refusing to move from the page of the magazine she held in her hands.

"Why? You wouldn't be able to see yourself." Angelus replied, his own eyes wrapped up in an ancient book as he sat in front of the fireplace. "What would the point of that?"

"Just something to spice up the room. Really, you can only stare at the same colored walls for so long before boredom takes its hold."

"It sounds idiotic."

"Well I like the idea. Makes me feel like Martha Stewart a little bit."

"And you're the only one."

"You know, you could learn to play around. Sarcasm isn't one of your stronger points, is it?" Buffy replied, peeling her eyes from the article she had been reading. Again, silence took its hold over the room before conversation once again split the air.

"How many times have you read that ancient thing?" She asked, tossing the magazine she had been reading onto the nearby table.

"How many times have you read those things that you call magazines?" He replied, sarcasm lacing every word.

"_Touché."_ Laying her head back against the pillow, the female vampire stared up at the ceiling, letting her imagination draw shapes upon its rough surface. "You know what?"

"What now?" Angelus answered her, biting back his annoyance. "You want to change the color of the ceiling?"

"Jeez, annoyed much? Are you grouchy when you're hungry? I was thinking that maybe we should pay some of my friends a visit soon."

"Right. Can I assume that after you play catch up, we'll have ourselves a feast?"

"Not right away. I don't fancy killing them when we can play games with their heads." As she finished her sentence, Buffy smiled, the grin seemingly begging her sire to join her. "And I know how much you love to play games with people's minds."

"That I do. Only one problem with your plan. If we both show up and visit, they're going to assume something's up. And there's nothing worse than giving away the game too soon."

"We could always bend the truth. Lie to them, deceive them, however you want to say it."

"And that lie would be…?"

"We say I closed Acathla, and something gave you back your soul, basically we say it was a miracle."

"Seems a little far-fetched. And your Watcher's going to fall for that?"

"I was thinking that we would save visiting him for last. I'm sure Xander and Willow are much more worried about where I might be than my stuffy old Watcher is."

"That's not to mention that your Watcher would double-check our story in one of his books, and we'd have more trouble on our hands."

"Would you have a better plan to offer us?" As her sire thought silently, Buffy began to hum to herself, the tune she remembered hearing vaguely in the Bronze. "Because I'd love to hear it."

"We lie, as you suggested. Only thing is that we say we don't know what happened, only that somehow Acathla was destroyed, and that Soul-boy is on the loose again."

"Better, although I don't think that Giles and Xander wouldn't take that very well. You have no idea how much they want to stake you."

"I imagine so, but do you really think I'd give them the chance?" As he finished, Angelus smiled, the same grin that had only months before struck fear into the Scoobies' hearts. Looking back at him, Buffy returned the smile.

"Did I ever tell you how much I missed you when I was a human?"

"I figured it out on my own. Really Buff, you're not hard to figure out. You don't hide your emotions that well, no matter what you might think."

"Maybe I should try harder."

"Did I tell you that I regret that I wasn't able to use a chainsaw on your former Watcher, even though he was still extremely fun to torture. He screamed like he could wake the dead." Swinging her legs over the side of the couch, Buffy seductively made her way towards her Sire, every inch of her movements catching Angelus' eyes. Hopping into his lap, the female vampire smiled at him.

"You are so _evil_. And that's just how I like my men."

* * *

"And for those just tuning into the show, Willow and Xander are officially screwed." Xander managed to force out of his tired system, barely managing to duck as the vampire threw yet another swing at him. The bat still held in his battered hands, the teenager swung in response to the attack, although the swing missed its target by at least a mile. Only a few feet away, Willow continued to try and defend herself with one of the wooden stakes that Giles had provided them with.

"Uh, Xander, I could use a little help over here!" She shouted, ducking as the vampire lunged at her, its body slamming into the chain link fence behind her. "Like, _now_!"

"I'm a little busy over here myself, Wills!" As the vampire launched another furious assault, Xander barely managed to protect himself as a few of the punches managed to find their mark. Seeing an opening, the teenager forced his way through it before managing to bring his stake down upon the vampire's heart. Turning his attention back to Willow, he started to rush towards her, the stake held at his side. His attention solely focused on reaching his friend, he didn't manage to see the outstretched arm in front of him until it was too late to avoid.

"Oops, looks like someone had a bad fall." He heard someone say, the world around him suddenly becoming blurry as he struggled to get back onto his feet. Looking up through the fog that surrounded his eyes, Xander could see that yet another vampire stood over him, its yellow eyes seemingly mocking him.

"Yeah, well, that's me. Always running into people and things." He replied sarcastically, his head still spinning from the attack when he felt his body leave the ground. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the vampire's own, their faces only mere inches from touching one another.

"Xander!" He heard Willow yell out, her voice somewhat strained by the vampire holding his hand against her throat.

"Alright, if you want a fight, why don't you leave the women folk alone and take on a real man?" He asked, putting every inch of strength he had left into his voice. In front of him, the vampire began to laugh, the sound of it almost sending a chill down Xander's spine.

"A real man, are you?" He asked, his laugh never once ceasing as he spoke. "I wasn't able to tell."

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked then, I hear that you vampires have excellent plans for that."

"You know, maybe I will fight you, if only for the pleasure of ripping your tongue from your throat." He answered, pulling his one arm back as he prepared to punch the human he held in his grip. "You know, I'm going to enjoy this."

"_You know, _I would recommend letting him go." As the voice echoed through the alleyway, the sound of it unmistakably female. Hesitating for only a moment, the vampire who held Xander in his grip turned to face the newcomer, his reward being that of a stake to the heart. As the demon holding him burst into a shower of dust, Xander felt his body slam into the ground below, the feeling only sending more pain throughout his body.

As it dropped Willow, the remaining vampire managed to bring it's fists up before it charged at the newcomer, the girl swiftly managing to side-step the creature and round-house kick it into a nearby wall. Twirling the stake in her hand for only a moment, she plunged the object into the vampire's skin, the point hitting its mark as the vampire disintegrated into a pile of dust.

"Xander, are you ok?" Willow asked, instantly at her friends side as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing like being dropped onto the solid Earth to make you feel better." He said, joking despite the pain he felt coursing through his body. "Vampires hit a lot harder than you'd think."

"You guys ok?" The girl asked, sticking the stake into the belt loop of her jeans. As she stepped underneath the nearby streetlight, the two Scoobies managed to get their first look at their savior. She was attractive, Xander noticed, her frame contained within a pair of black leather plants, with a black tank-top covered partially by a jean jacket. She had one hand on a small rucksack that covered the upper-portion of her back, and a few more stakes were visible as they poked out from underneath the sack's cover.

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks for the help." Willow responded, helping her friend back onto his feet. "I don't think we would have lasted very long if you hadn't shown up when you did."

"What, you _dare_ doubt my slaying abilities?" Xander added, putting his hand to his head as he felt a headache coming on. "On second thought, even my body agrees with you on that one."

"Don't mention it. It's my job, even if I don't get paid for it." The woman replied, crossing her arms across her chest. "I've been meaning let out some pent up anger anyway. You know how they say it isn't good to let that build up inside you."

"Didn't Giles tell us that one time?" Xander asked, his head cocked towards Willow.

"I think so."

"So, tell us, angel of darkness, what brings you to this slice of Earthly paradise we call the Hellmouth?" As he looked at her, Xander could see his vision finally beginning to clear as the 'shellshock' he had received began to fade.

"Faith." The woman replied, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "I'm the new Slayer."


	5. A Visit To An Old Friend

**I really didn't expect to be finished with this chapter already, but inspiration took its hold upon me, and so, here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

As his eyes poured over the ancient text in front of him, Giles' eyes began to blur as the exhaustion he felt finally began to overtake every sense in his body. Pulling his glasses away from his eyes, he rubbed his temples for a moment, trying desperately to make the coming headache disappear from his body. All around him, the room was silent, save for the sound of his own breathing. As that silence began to overtake him, he could feel himself finally just wanting to give into his body's need for rest.

From behind him, the sound of knocking upon the front door snapped him out of his own thoughts, momentarily startling him as he rushed to put his glasses back on. Returning to his feet, he made his way across the floor to the door, pushing back the deadbolt before turning the knob in his hand.

"Jeez, Giles, I know we're supposed to be taking precautions and everything, but a deadbolt? What is this, the nineteen-thirties?" Xander joked, sarcasm drenching his every word.

"Xander, stop it!" Willow said, slapping her friend on the shoulder in the process. "Don't listen to him, Giles; he's just joking to hide the bruises he has."

'Oh, my pride." Xander said, mumbling the sentence underneath his breath.

"Yes, quite. Call me old-fashioned." The Watcher replied, noticing Faith standing behind the two teenagers. "And hello to you again."

"They were doing what you said they would. And doing a poor job at that." The Slayer said, eying Xander as the teenager stared at her after her remark. "Don't give me that look, you know what I'm talking about."

"Still, I'm already starting to like this town. Nice nightlife." She added, readjusting the backpack that adorned her back.

"Well, come in. No sense in you three standing about in the cold." Giles said, moving aside so the three could come inside. As she plopped herself down into one of the arm chairs and swung her legs over the furniture's arm, Faith caught Giles giving her a frown. Still, he didn't ask her to move, and simply set himself down into a nearby armchair.

"So, anything to report?" He asked, reaching for the cup of tea on the table beside him.

"Three vampires dusted. We didn't see anymore, but I suppose that's a good thing, given where we live." Xander answered, cautiously leaning himself back into the couch in an attempt to keep his sore body under control.

"I showed up just in time to prevent Mr. Smartass over here from getting pounded into the ground by a vamp. Other than that, they did fine."

"You approval inspires us."

"That's what I'm here for."

"Oh yes, I believe proper introductions are in order." Giles said, setting the cup down onto the table in front of him. "Willow, Xander, this is Faith Lehane. She's the new Slayer that was sent to us by the Council to replace…Kendra."

"I can take it that there's still no sign of Buffy?" Willow asked, twiddling her thumbs as she spoke.

"No, although we can't yet give up hope. She could still be out there somewhere."

"I 'd still feel better if we knew exactly where she was, if she was safe." Willow added, her gaze falling to the carpet below her feet.

"Hey, until your Buff master gets back, I'm more than happy to fill in for her." Faith said, digging into the pocket of her jacket as she tried to find a pack of gum. "After all, that's what I'm here for. Or so they told me."

"And we love you already. Welcome to the Hellmouth, land of vampires and other bizarre things you thought never existed." Xander answered, slowly pushing himself off of the couch and grabbing Willow's jacket. "Come on Wills, we better get you home before your parents freak." Joining her friend, Willow waved goodbye to the Watcher and new Slayer as she and Xander walked out the door, shutting the wooden frame behind them.

"Nice little bunch of kids you have working for you, G-Man."

"They have given more to this struggle in the past two years than some do in a lifetime. For that, I'm thankful."

"Not dissing them, just saying, I find it kinda funny how they're involved with this. Not every day you hear about a Slayer with friends."

"It is uncommon, but not entirely unheard of. I assume your previous Watcher told you about the other cases in the histories?"

"Yeah, yeah, he read off the Watcher Diaries a couple times to me. Personally, I think reading Anne Rice would have been more fun." Looking back at her, Giles fought back the urge to grin, considering that he had finally been able to 'get' one of the teen's references. Overall, she reminded him of Buffy in the slightest sense, with the two teenagers sharing the same sarcastic tongue.

"So, spill the details, is Mr. Hero and the red-head involved?" She asked, popping the piece of gum into her mouth in the process. "You know, are they _google-eyed_ over each other?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"I take it that you didn't get out much when you were in Watcher's Junior High School? Are they _dating_?"

"Oh. Oh, goodness, no, they're just friends as far as I'm aware."

"You sure? Thought I saw some hormones acting up back there when I rescued them."

"It's not really my place to say."

"Alright, whatever you say. I'm gonna go grab a cheap motel and crash for a few hours." Grabbing her backpack from its place on the floor, Faith spat her gum out into a nearby wastebasket before waving at the Watcher and heading for the door. As he sipped his tea, Giles leaned back into his chair, and wondered about where his Slayer was, if she was in good health.

"Wherever you are, Buffy, be safe. For all of us."

* * *

"Buff, really, it's almost the middle of the day, there's no need for us to be up at this hour." Angelus mumbled, unhappy at being ripped out of his sleep. As he turned his head to his side, he could already picture in his mind his young childe trying to wake up him in an attempt to either make a joke or purposely aggravate him. Instead, he found his mate still asleep, her own head trashing back and forth as she continued to mumble underneath her breath.

"Buffy, what the hell's wrong with you?" He said, shaking his mate with every inch of his strength that he could muster. Beneath his grip, her body continued to thrash as her eyes remained tightly shut, her voice beginning to grow louder as she traveled farther into the dream.

_The room around her was utterly silent, with no color to any of the 'walls' around her. As she took a few cautious steps forward, she looked around, trying to find any sign of life. In the end, she was only confronted with the same dull white color that infected every inch around her. She was totally and utterly alone. In void._

"_Buffy." The voice shot out and nearly overwhelmed her senses. Turning around, she looked around, looking for whoever had called out her name._

"_Hello?"_

"_Buffy."_

"_Damn it, I said show yourself!" In the blink of an eye, everything around her changed, the white color giving way to a simple field of grass, with nothing else even breaking the distant horizon around her. Silence again took control over the air, consuming everything in its path._

"_Buffy." The voice again sounded out, this time stemming from the area directly behind her. Spinning on her heel, the former vampire Slayer prepared herself to face any threat that would arise. What she found instead was a familiar red-headed girl, dressed in simple clothes._

"_Willow?" The girl offered her no response, and instead simply raised her hand to point at the vampire._

"_Betrayer." The word echoed around her, the effect almost completely deafening Buffy in the process._

"_Stop." As if on cue, the word stopped and silence resumed its reign over everything. Moving her hands away from her ears, Buffy returned her gaze to her former friend. _

"_Vampire." The girl said to her, although the word didn't echo as the previous one had. Her gaze never once faltered from Buffy, and slowly her pupils began to turn to solid black, the solid color consuming every inch of the girl's eyes. Just as slowly as her pupils had changed, the red-head's attire began to change as well, changing into the same black color that now controlled her eyes._

"_You have turned against us, Buffy Anne Summers." Willow's voice sounded different now as well, its tone matching the darkness that now controlled her. "This is not how you were meant to exist. You have betrayed all of us and everything you have ever fought and stood for."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You have become that which you were destined to destroy. You have become pure evil. And this shall only end with your death." As the words left the girl's lips, the entire scene began to evaporate back into the solid white color that Buffy had originally seen. The color growing bright by the second, the girl shielded her eyes as the bright light overtook her._

Finally her eyes snapped open, and her body gave one last shake before she slowly calmed herself down. Still, her body continued to tremble, despite Angelus' grip on both of her arms. Her forehead was covered in sweat, despite the cold that ruled her body.

"You mind explaining what you were dreaming about?" Shaking her gaze from the floor up to her sire, Buffy's body continued to tremble as she began to speak.

"I think I had a vision." She said, her voice sounding somewhat quiet. "I think we need to pay Willow a visit."

* * *

Silently brushing her hair, Willow stared back at her reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with the way her hair looked, she returned to her feet and stretched. Her body was still begging her for rest, and she was only moments away from giving into that desire. She and Xander had gotten more than they had bargained for on tonight's patrol, and now more than ever, she wished she knew where Buffy had gone. Her friend had been missing for almost a week now, and with each passing day, the chances of finding her began to slowly slip away.

Sliding underneath the sheets of her bed, she reached over and turned off the light that stood on her night-side table. As her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes, looking forward to losing herself in a dream for a few hours.

"_Willow_." As the voice crept into the room, the red-headed girl's eyes shot open, her mind already racing to decide whether she was simply hearing things or if someone had really shouted out her name.

"_Willow!" _The voice once again sounded out, followed this time by a tapping at her window, the tapping gentle enough so that it could be heard, but not so that it would echo throughout the entire house. As she turned her head towards the window, Willow wished that she at least had a stake with her. At least then she wouldn't feel so helpless. Turning on the light next to her in a swift motion, she turned back to the window, and caught sight of the figure that she had unable to see fully in the dark.

"Buffy!" She said, throwing off the covers above her, and rushing towards the window. As she quickly undid the locks on the window, she flung the glass open and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist.

"Wills, I know you missed me, but you're crushing my spine."

"Oh, sorry!" Loosening her grip on her friend, Willow nevertheless continued to hug her. "I was so worried about you!"

"Wills, I've only been gone for a week."

"And a week's a long time!"

"As much as I would love to continue hugging you, it's kinda nippy out, you mind if I come inside?"

"Yeah sure, come on in. You're always welcome here." Moving aside, Willow watched as Buffy jumped down from the window into the room before she wrapped her arms around her friend once again, hugging her with renewed vigor.

"_Owww_, Wills, crushing my spine again."

"I can't help it, I've missed you so much!"

"I can understand how you feel, but I don't want to be permanently paralyzed." Buffy answered, trying to squirm her way out of her friend's tight embrace. "You mind if we talk for a while? I've got some important things I need to discuss with you."

"What important things? Haven't you told Giles that you're back? He's been worried sick over what could have happened to you." Willow replied, joining Buffy as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Or Xander, or your Mom? _Anyone_?"

"Not exactly, I've been kinda…busy, as of late."

"But everyone's been really worried about you. Your Mom thought you were dead."

"She'd love that, wouldn't she?" The blonde said, rolling her eyes in the process. "Considering the fact that she virtually threw me out of the house before I went to fight Angel."

"Buffy, your mom loves you, how can you even say that?" Looking back at her, Willow's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Because I _know_ her, Wills. Trust me on that. Anyway, that's not what I came to talk to you about."

"But Giles has been worried about you, he's been avoiding sleeping, and the Council sent him another Slayer, and I'm rambling now, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are. Breathe, Wills, _breathe._" Buffy answered, resting her hand on the red-head's shoulder. "Besides, again, I was only gone for a _week._"

"You mean you disappeared for a week after you had a major fight with Angel, which by the way, how did that go? Did you…kill him?" She paused at the word kill, not wanting to upset her friend.

"That's the thing I've been trying to get to, Willow. He's alive, his soul's been restored."

"But... how? Oz and Cordelia told me the spell was stopped before I could finish it."

"I...I don't know. One minute we were fighting, and I was just about to strike him down, but there was this burst of light, and then, the next thing I knew, he was back. I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't Angelus anymore. "

"Burst of light? What do you think that was?" Willow asked, her eyes sharing her tone's sense of curiosity.

"I don't have any idea. All I know is that Acathla didn't open up. I think when we were fighting that I nicked his arm and some of his blood hit the statue's mouth, and it never opened. Either way, Angel is back." Getting back onto her feet, Buffy turned her back to Willow and crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't' know what to do with him. If I take him to Giles or anyone else, I'm sure that they'll kill him. And I don't think I can live without him."

"Buffy, we have to let Giles know. He has a right to! He's your Watcher!"

"After Angelus tortured him for hours on end? Yeah, I'm sure that will go over well." Buffy said, sarcasm drenching her every word as she spoke. Turning on her heel, she faced Willow once again. "I'm not involving Giles in this."

"But he can help!"

"That's not the point, Wills. You know as well as I how much he would love to shove a stake through Angel's heart. If we take him there, Angel will be dead by the time the sun comes up." As she looked back at Buffy, Willow felt as if something was wrong with this entire scenario, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was. Buffy seemed…_different._

"Are you ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem a little…_off."_

"Again, what are you trying to get at, Willow?" Buffy's tone was changing slightly, its sound becoming a little bit more threatening than it usually was.

"I was just asking. Maybe you should just take it easy for a while. I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through in the past week. I'm just gonna call Giles, and tell him you're ok. No mention of Angel or anything, I promise." Stepping towards the phone, Willow's fingers were almost in contact with the receiver when Buffy's hand slammed down atop of it.

"_No." _She said, her eyes ablaze with something that could be described as rage. "We are not involving Giles in _anything_. I'll let him know once, and _only_ once I know that Angel will be safe. Now, are you going to help me or not?" As she looked at her friend, a shiver ran down Willow's spine as she gazed into Buffy's eyes.

"Buffy, I was only suggesting it. Just calm down, I'm sorry if I want to get Giles involved, I'd just feel a lot better if we didn't lie to him."

"You're suggesting that I just turn Angel over to Giles and that idiotic Council he's so fond of, and I can tell you right now, that is not going to happen." Taking a step towards Willow, Buffy moved her hand off of the phone. Peering past her shoulder, Willow managed to catch sight of her own reflection in the mirror, and around her, only an empty room. As she gave the reflection her full attention, all the pieces of her friend's strange behavior clinked into place in her mind.

"Oh god, Buffy."

"What?"

"Your reflection." Willow said, her voice lower than it had been before as she pointed at the mirror behind the Slayer. "You...your…Buffy, you're a _vampire_." As the blonde peered into the mirror behind her, Willow rushed to grab the cross she kept underneath her bed, her mind racing to remember a spell, any spell that could help her defend herself. Raising the cross at her friend, she could see the piece of jewelry shaking in her palm.

"Just…just stay back, I don't think you'll hurt me, Buffy, please let that be true." Her back still towards the cross, Buffy continued to look at the mirror, able to see the entire room behind her. "Buffy, please, just tell me how it happened."

"I didn't want this, Willow. I wanted anything but this." Buffy replied, forcing a few fake tears to fall down her cheeks. Slowly turning around, the former Slayer looked at the cross that Willow held in her hand. "Are you going to burn me with that? Hurt me? Kill me? I wouldn't blame you, I would have done the same if our places were reversed."

"Buffy, did…did _Angel_ do this to you?"

"No, I was helping him onto his feet, and Drusilla…she must have blindsided me, because the next thing I knew, I could feel all of my blood being drained out of my body. Angel was too weak to really help, but he managed to get her off of me. But there wasn't anything he could do, except turn me. If he hadn't, I would have died."

"But you're still dead."

"No, I'm something worse than that. I'm dead, but I can still walk around, I can still see people going on with their lives. I can still see the world turning around me, and it doesn't ever matter." Looking at the girl crying in front of her, Willow slowly lowered the cross and took a few cautious steps towards her friend. As she reached Buffy, she wrapped her arms around the girl's body and ran her hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her dead friend.

"Ssshhh, it's ok, it's ok." She said, allowing the blonde-haired vampire to cry into her shoulder.

"Wills, what am I going to do? I can't go home like this, I can't go back to my semi-normal life. My mother won't take me back, and Giles would probably turn me over to the Council."

"Buffy, Giles wouldn't do that, he loves you like you're his daughter!" Willow replied, stroking part of the girl's blonde hair in the process. "He loves all of us like that."

"Well, I guess I've become the bastard child of this entire family." The vampire's crying has started to stop now, although her cheeks were still wet from the tears that now stained Willow's shirt.

"It'll be alright, we'll work it out somehow. Please, just stop crying." The room was engulfed in silence for a few moments before Buffy raised her head out of Willow's shoulder.

"I better go. Angel was worried about letting me come here in the first place." Through her tear-stained eyes, the vampire smiled. "I'll talk to you some other time."

"Take care, Buffy." Offering her friend one last hug, Willow watched as she made her way out the window and disappeared into the night.


	6. Epiphany

**Again, another fast chapter to write, but I'm really happy with how this turned out. So, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I'm simply playing around with the characters**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

As she pushed the doors to the library open, Willow found the entire room to be engulfed in complete silence. She could see Giles sitting quietly at the table that lay in the center of the room, his glasses held in his hand and his eyes closed. She slowly approached him, hoping that she wouldn't surprise him in any way, considering that the doors hadn't closed silently behind her. As she drew closer, he still didn't raise his head to greet her.

"Giles?" She asked, laying her hand on his shoulder. Momentarily startled by the gesture, the Watcher jumped in his chair, causing Willow to withdraw her hand and take a few steps back. Pushing his glasses back onto his face, Giles took a deep breath as he realized there was nothing to fear.

"Hello, Willow."

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." She answered, continuing to hold some of her books in her hand.

"No, it's quite alright. I…I was just resting my eyes for a moment." He replied, leaning back into his chair in the process. "What brings you here?"

"Giles, I've got a question for you. A serious one." As the words left her lips, Willow took a seat across from the older man, pushing herself into the somewhat comfort feeling of the wooden material.

"Yes, what is it?"

"If…If a Slayer were to be turned, what would happen to her soul? Would it be destroyed or still exist somewhere in her?"

"I don't quite understand the question. Turned into what?"

"A vampire." As the words left her lips, she watched with slight unease as Giles leaned back into his chair. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the young girl in front of him with emotion in his eyes. Emotion that could be likened to a fear finally being realized for the first time.

"It is a very rare thing in the histories, but there are a few recorded accounts of such a thing happening." He finally said, pulling his glasses off of his face in order to rub his eyes.

"What happened to their souls, Giles?"

"Whatever remained of them lived in a fruitless fight for control against the demon that existed within the same body." The Watcher replied, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. "There are no records of any Slayer managing to regain control of their bodies once they were turned."

"But their souls still existed, right?"

"The few recorded cases all mentioned that all said Slayers were hunted down by the Council and…disposed of."

"Meaning…"

"They either disappeared off the face of the Earth, or met their end at the hands of other Slayers." The Watcher's gaze refused to lift from her. "Willow, are…are you suggesting that Angelus turned Buffy during their battle?"

"It's just something that…that I thought might have happened. I figured we have to be prepared for anything, right?"

"Indeed." Returning his glasses to his face, Giles sighed. "I just pray that it hasn't come to that."

* * *

"Come on, vamp boy. I'm right here." Faith shouted out, her fists clenched in front of her as she stared down the vampire that stood before her. Barring his fangs, he charged at her, a growl still fresh in the air around him. Standing her ground, the Slayer jumped as the demon was right on top of her, her hands gripping the cool metal of the over-hanging fire-escape. Searching the area around him, the vampire's face showed nothing but confusion and slight anger. Smiling slightly, Faith let go of the metal, her boot catching the unsuspecting vamp in the back of its head.

"Sorry, did that hurt? I hope so." She said, pulling a stake out of her jacket in one swift motion. "Cause, trust me. You'll be hurting a lot more by the time I'm done with you." His yellow eyes ablaze with rage, the vampire again charged at her. Rolling her eyes, she waited until the last possible moment before plunging the stake into the vampire's heart. As he burst into a shower of dust in front of her, the Slayer smiled.

"Can't say I didn't warn ya."

"So you're the new Slayer." She heard someone say behind her, its tone a cross between amusement and anger. "Well, you're kinda boney, but I guess that's just me nitpicking." Turning around, Faith still had the stake in her hand as she stared into the shadows that surrounded her. The alleyway was otherwise completely deserted, with only an occasional streetlight making it possible to see where one was going.

"And who might you be? Since it appears that you already know who I am." She answered, her senses still on edge.

"Who me? I'm nobody really. Just someone whose been in this town a little too long."

"You know, I've never really been much for all the foreplay in any relationships, so why don't you just show yourself and we can get this over with?"

"Alright. Seems that you're not one for conversation." As she heard the words, Faith saw a body enter the alleyway, virtually appearing out of the shadows. Looking her up and down, the Slayer noticed that she hardly looked threatening, considering that she was wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans. Still, the way her voice sounded diminished any sense of security that the Slayer might have had.

"So, do you want your death to be quick and painless, or slow and painful? Because I can swing either way." Twirling the stake in her hand, Faith stared the new arrival down, the girl simply staring back at her as a smile came to her lips.

"Trust me, so can I." Her face morphing into its true form, the blonde-haired vampire leapt at the Slayer, managing to catch the girl unprepared for the moment. As she found herself thrown against the wall behind her, Faith barely managed to duck as the vampire launched another assault against her, her punches missing her only by mere inches. Bringing her arms up in order to defend herself, the vampire Slayer dropped her stake as she found herself being pushed back inch by inch, the vampire's attacks matching her own.

Managing to exploit an opening in the vampire's attack, Faith shot out with her fist, her face breaking out into a smile as she saw the vampire react from the attack. The creature's assault stopped for only a moment, Faith took that moment to retrieve her stake from the ground, twirling around on her heel as she plunged the wooden object towards the vampire's heart.

"I don't think so." Catching her wrist with only inches to spare, the vampire grinned at her. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to point sharp things at people?" As she finished her sentence, the blonde-haired vampire threw her other fist into Faith's mouth, the force of the blow knocking the Slayer back. Only taking a second to regain her stance, she could feel the taste of blood in her mouth.

"Making me bleed, _bad_ idea." She said, using every part of the emotion she felt to launch an attack against the vampire. She managed to score one hit against her foe, but every other punch or kick was easily deflected, as if the creature were able to predict her every move. As Faith swung her foot around for a roundhouse kick, the vampire simply laughed and caught her food in mid-air, holding her suspended in mid-kick for a moment before she threw the girl back yet again. Her body making contact with the chain-link fence behind her, Faith could feel pain erupting everywhere in her body. Standing over here, the vampire grabbed her by the throat, picking her up and pushing her against the fence, a smile on her face the entire time.

"I'm a little disappointed, I figured that Giles might have trained you better than this." She said, her face changing back into its normal state. "Guess you haven't been in town long enough for him to do that." Her hands pulling at the vampire's hand, Faith struggled to breathe as the vampire simply tightened her grip on her foe's neck.

"Don't try to struggle, I'm not going to kill you." She said, smiling for a moment. "Or at least not yet. I just wanted to see how you'd hold up from a practice fight. Again, I expected something a little better." Looking into the Slayer's eyes, the girl laughed slightly. "Don't tell me that's_ fear_ I see in your eyes."

"It's not. It's me being majorly pissed off at you." Faith said, pushing her head back slightly and spitting in the vampire's face. Wiping the spit away with her free hand, the vampire frowned at the Slayer, tightening her grip enough to make the girl begin to choke.

"Really, that's just a little rude." Curling her free hand into a fist, she swung at Faith, the full impact of the blow hitting her just as the vampire's hand let go of her throat. Her body being thrown to the ground, the Slayer coughed as she struggled to get air into her lungs. The vampire still standing over her, the creature simply smiled at her before swinging her leg out, her boot making contact with the Slayer's ribs.

"I'll be seeing you around, Faith._ Toughen up_." Turning on her heel, the vampire walked into the darkness and disappeared from sight, the only sound echoing through the entire alleyway being that of her boots. Not bothering to watch the creature disappear, Faith struggled to her feet, leaning on the fence for support as she continued to cough, her entire side having felt the full impact of the kick. Taking a few painful steps forward, the Slayer moved her way along the fence, her own body disappearing into the night.

* * *

"Giles, you need help with anything?" Willow asked, pushing aside the pile of books that she had been reading. "I'm finished over here."

"No, that's quite alright. I'm just about finished here myself. After that we can move onto the last stack." The Watcher replied, looking up from the ancient tome that he had been pouring over with his eyes. "Could you bring me that volume I left on the end table over the-" He started before the front door pushed itself open, the wooden frame slamming against the wall behind it. As all eyes turned towards the figure that had entered, Faith collapsed to the floor, trying to push herself back up onto her feet as she started to cough once again.

"Faith!" Both Giles and Willow shouted, rushing to the young girl's side. From where she lay on the floor, the Slayer coughed up a small amount of blood onto her sleeve before she wiped the remaining amount off with the back of her hand.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked, helping the young girl onto her feet. Also at her side, Willow wrapped the girl's arm around her shoulders as she and Giles began to move the Slayer towards the couch.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly five by five." The Slayer pushed out, coughing up more blood shortly after she finished the sentence. "Perfectly fine."

"What happened?" Willow questioned, letting the Slayer's arm fall from around her shoulders as Giles carefully laid the Slayer onto the piece of furniture, the girl letting out a sharp hiss of pain as her ribs erupted into a furious pain.

"Some kind of super-vamp found me when I was out on patrol. Claimed she knew who I was, and that I was new in town. She didn't really take a likening to me." Helping the girl take off the jean jacket that covered her t-shirt, Giles flinched as he saw the girl's expression erupt into pain once again.

"Can you describe this 'super-vamp'?" He asked, holding his breath as Faith hiked up part of her shirt in order to take a look at her bruised rips.

"Some blonde thing, matched my every move perfectly. She was every bit as strong as I was, and had the training to back it up."

"Did you manage to get a name from this vampire?"

"No, I didn't get much beside the fact that she decided to beat the shit out of me." Closing her eyes, Faith tried to steady her breathing as she fought back more coughs. Leaving her side to gather a few things, Giles nodded at Willow once before moving away. Looking back down at Faith, the young red-head tried her best to comfort the injured Slayer.

"Just take it easy, Giles will be right back. He's taken care of Buffy before; he knows what he's doing."

"I hope so, I feel like I got hit with a train."

"Can you describe this vamp a little bit more? Did she say anything more about how she knew you?"

"She didn't say much, she mainly just wanted to fight. She must know you and G-Man because she mentioned something about Giles not training me yet or something." Her mind already starting to connect the dots, Willow looked down at the Slayer with questioning eyes. Fear coursed through her heart.

"Wait right here." She said, getting back onto her feet and rushing to look for the picture that Giles had of herself, Xander, and Buffy. Grabbing the frame from where it lay atop a nearby book-case, she rushed back to Faith's side and held the photo up in order for her to see.

"Did she look anything like this?" She asked, pointing to Buffy in the process. Squinting her eyes in order to better see the photo, the Slayer's eyes lit up for a minute as she remembered exactly how the vampire's 'human' face had looked in the thin light of the alley.

"Exactly like that." She answered, propping herself up onto her elbows. As he reentered the room, Giles made his way back to the Slayer's side, setting the medical supplies he had brought with him down onto the floor.

"Exactly like what?" He asked, helping the girl into a sitting position.

"I hate to say it G-Man, but I think your little Buffy's playing for the other side now." Faith answered, hissing as Giles started to wrap her bruised ribs. Stopping for a moment, he looked up at her, shock filling his eyes.

"_What_?"

"That vamp who attacked me tonight? Willow showed me a photo of your Buffy, and they're a positive match." Looking directly into his eyes, Faith watched as the Watcher quietly got back onto his feet, and slowly sat himself down into a nearby chair, his eyes staring into nothing.

"Giles?" Willow asked, sitting herself down beside Faith. "What do we do?"

"I don't know." The Watcher replied, his voice coming out as barely a whisper.

"I've still got the Spell of Restoration at my…house…" Letting her sentence trail off, Willow realized exactly why Buffy had wanted into her house the night before. She knew that Willow still had the floppy disc that Ms. Calendar had saved the spell to, and since the written copy of it had been lost in the chaos surrounding the failed spell at the hospital, the disc itself was the only link to the spell that they still had. Rushing back onto her feet, Willow ran for the door, not bothering to grab her jacket or her bag as she rushed out into the night, pushing her body for all the speed she could muster. Behind her, she could hear Giles calling out her name, but she was already too far down the street for his words to matter.

* * *

She managed to keep running block by block until she reached her house, rushing up the steps and throwing open the door and running up the stairs to her room. As she opened the door to her room, she wasn't surprised to find the entire room in an utter state of chaos, with almost everything in her room thrown out of its normal place. As she looked at her desk, she found the drawer that had contained the floppy disc lying upside down on the floor, its contents surrounding it. Taking the drawer into her hand, she searched the objects scattered about at her feet, searching desperately for the disc.

As she looked at each and every object on the floor, she finally stopped, realizing that the disc wasn't here. Buffy had come back and taken it, no doubt with the intention to destroy it. Leaning back against the wall, she looked at the open window across the room, thinking of she should have realized how strange it was for Buffy to ask to be let in. There had been so many clues, and she hadn't caught onto them fast enough. She had actually believed that there might be a chance for a Slayer's soul to remain inside her body.

Buffy was a vampire now, and there was no way to restore her soul. They had lost.


	7. Plans

**First off, apologies for this chapter being a little on the short side, I'm starting to suffer from a small bout of writers block regarind this story. So, I'll be takign a small break from updating this for awhile, at least until my creativity works it way back up to normal.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel, they belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

As she pushed the door open, Buffy could already smell the unmistakable scent of fresh blood flowing throughout the mansion. Shutting the door behind her, she followed the scent into the living room, the sight of Angelus feeding on someone greeting her as she entered the room. He looked up at her as she came close to him, withdrawing his fangs from the girl's throat that he had been draining. Looking down at him, she perked up her eyebrow.

"Aww, you brought us takeout." She said, smiling at her sire in the process.

"What can I say, I got bored waiting around here." He replied, dropping the girl in the process. "Did you get the disk?"

"Yep." Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she held the disk up into the bright light of the nearby fireplace. "One soul Restoration Spell, right here. Couldn't let Willow even think about using it. You know what they say about how addictive magick is once you get a taste for it."

"Still, you realize that's going to bring them right down on top of us? I'd rather have continued to toy with them in the shadows than run straight out into the light and fight them. That might have been Spike's style, but not mine. I prefer to operate on a lower interest level."

"Don't worry; their new Slayer isn't really a threat. She fights like a child, all emotion instead of planning. The only person we have to worry about is Giles. Out of any of my 'friends', he's the one most likely to come up with something to do about our little game."

"So, we take him out. Simple as that, we just catch him at a time when he's alone." Angelus answered, grinning at her for a moment. "Let him join his beloved Jenny."

"You make it sound so simple." Moving closer to him, Buffy reached out with her finger and wiped a stray drop of blood off of her sire's mouth. Sticking the finger into her mouth, she greedily swallowed the blood, her stomach yearning for more.

"Comes with being around for over two-hundred years, give or take a few more with that pesky soul." He replied, looking down at the girl he had been feeding on. "You want the rest of her, or should I finish?"

"Fighting the new Slayer made me work up an appetite, I'll take her. Continue with what you were saying." Morphing into her true form, Buffy grabbed the girl and bit into her neck without hesitation, relishing in the feeling of the girl's warm blood flowing down her throat.

"The only problem with killing Giles would be that he would become a symbol to the rest of your little friends, just like Jenny. The question is, do we want to inspire them to fight harder, or strike fear into their beating hearts?"

"What do you recommend we do?" She asked, the sound of her words muffled as she refused to remove her fangs from the girl's throat. "Besides scaring them?"

"A little beating never hurt anyone." He flashed her that trademark grin of his before making his way over to the fireplace and throwing a few more logs into the blazing flames. "Or at least never hurt me directly. Can't say the same for some of the other people."

"Please tell me you brought more." Buffy said, dropping the girl, her dead body remaining motionless as it slammed into the floor. Throwing one last piece of wood into the fire, Angelus smiled at her, amused at her consistent bloodlust.

"There's a few more downstairs. I had to put them somewhere, didn't want them running away before you got home. Besides, it felt good to get of this god-damn place for a while."

"It's not like I kept you chained to the bed or anything, you were just being lazy. You could leave anything time you wanted."

"And yet you're up later than I am." He answered, that grin still adorning his face. "After I work all day to bring home humans for dinner."

"Ok, enough with this. I'm hungry." Picking up the floppy disk from where it lay atop the fireplace, she tossed it to him. "Do something with that thing. Burn it, smash it, shove it down something's throat, I don't care. We both don't need the thing hanging over our heads." Watching her as she left the room, Angelus turned back to the fire, and after giving the action only a moment's thought, he tossed the yellow disk into the fire, and watched as it slowly melted away into nothing more than a pile of melted plastic.

* * *

"_Ow_!' Faith mumbled underneath her breath as she slowly sat herself down into the chair, hissing as her ribs once again flared up into pain. Swallowing the pain down, she looked down the table at the faces staring at her. "What, sorry if the almighty Slayer Powers aren't full kicking in at the moment."

"Buffy didn't manage to hit you with the Slayer version of kryptonite, did she?" Xander said, although the joke lacked any emotion behind it. Kicking him underneath the table, Cordelia glared at him in the process.

"Xander, do you want her to kick your ass? Pretty sure it's not a good idea to make our only Slayer angry." She said, ignoring her boyfriend's shout as pain shot through his shin.

"Take it easy, May Queen, I'm in no mood right now to kick anybody's ass." Faith said, leaning back fully into the chair with a small struggle. Her ribs were starting to heal, but they were still undeniably sore after her heated fight with the former Slayer.

"Can we focus here? Buffy's a vampire, we need a plan." Willow interrupted, her eyes showing nothing but worry and fear. Although no-one else at the table knew it, she carried the full weight of guilt inside her, blaming herself for allowing Buffy to enter her house and steal the key to restoring her soul. She should have revoked the girl's invitation the minute after she had left, but she had instead decided to believe in a foolish dream of a Slayer being able to retain her soul.

"Can't we just zap her with a soul, like what we tried to do with Angel?" Cordy asked, looking back at Willow in the process. "I'm sure Giles has another one of his orby things somewhere in his office."

"That's what I've been meaning to get to...Buffy stole the disk from my house. We don't have a copy of it anymore."

"_WHAT_?" Xander said, his entire stance showing how flabbergasted he was. "So, you're telling me that Buffy is out there, in full on Bride of Dracula mode, and there's nothing we can do to make her switch sides again?"

"No." As the word left her lips, Willow's gaze feel to the floor, unable to look into her oldest friend's eyes. "There's nothing we can do. There's no way I can remember it from memory, and we don't have a backup copy anywhere. Besides, Ms. Calendar's computer was destroyed when Angelus…killed her."

"Great. We're doomed." Cordy mumbled underneath her breath, slapping her hand against the side of her leg.

"For once, I think Cordy's right." Willow added, still refusing to look at anyone else at the table. "I don't think there' s a way we can save her."

"Wills, this is Buffy we're talking about, we can't just give up. There has to be a way."

"I'm afraid that both Cordelia and Willow are correct, Xander." Giles said, looking at the young teenager with exhaustion in his eyes. "The creature that inhabits her body isn't Buffy. Her soul is gone, only the demon remains in its place."

"So you're telling me there's nothing in all those books that you're so found of keeping around? There's really nothing we can do except wait for Miss Slayer over here to stake Buffy?"

"Xander…" Willow started, finally looking at him through her somewhat glazed eyes.

"No, Wills, don't try to calm me down." He replied, turning to look at her before he turned his anger back onto Giles. "Why don't you get in touch with someone on your Watcher's Council, and find a way to restore her soul? You can't tell me that they don't at least have some mention of it somewhere in one of their books."

"Xander_, enough_!" Willow shouted, getting back onto her feet in the process. Looking back at her, Xander grew silent, unsure of how to respond to her. "You don't get it, do you? There is NO other spell that can restore a soul. There is NOTHING we can do."

"Willow…" Cordy started before Willow turned a glare on her, the stare managing to momentarily subdue the cheerleader into silence.

"Don't you think that I already tried to find a spell to restore souls when Angel first turned evil? I spent hours looking for a way to do that, and there is nothing we can do. I invited her into _my_ house! If I hadn't done that, she wouldn't have the disk! It's _my_ fault!" Continuing to look at Xander, Willow let the tears start to roll down her cheeks, no longer trying to keep them inside of her. As he stared at her, Xander felt nothing but sorrow for the red-head, realizing how much she blamed herself.

"Wills, it's not your fault. There's no way that you could have known she was a vampire when you invited her in."

"You don't get it! I should have revoked her invitation, how many times has she told us that vampires don't have souls? That they're not capable of being good?" She continued, tears continuing to stream down her face. "Why didn't I remember any of it? Please, tell me why."

"She lied to you, Willow. You're only human." Cordelia said, getting onto her feet as the words left her lips. "You had no way of knowing if she was lying to you or now."

_"It's my fault, it's my fault, it'smyfault, it'smyfault."_ As her words started to run together, Willow collapsed onto her knees, her sobbing only getting worse by the second, rushing to her side, both Oz and Xander held on the young girl, trying desperately to make her stop crying. Observing the scene, Giles excused himself and left the room, heading for the kitchen in order to make himself a cup of tea. Silently following him, Faith ignored the burning pain in her ribs. Leaning against the doorway to the small kitchen, she stared at the Watcher as he turned on the burner.

"So, what's your plan?"

"I…I don't know." He answered, stopping for a moment but not turning to face the Slayer. "I prayed that it would never come to this."

"Your praying did us all a whole lot of good, didn't it?' She replied, her answer not sparing a single blow. "We've got a threat here, Giles, and these people need you to order them around. I'm a Slayer, I'm fine doing what I was chosen to do. Are you?"

"Even if it was possible, I wouldn't want to force Buffy to live the same way Angel has done, live in shame and fear of hurting humans. She doesn't deserve that."

"So you want me to kill her."

"It would be for the best." He answered, finally facing her. "Can you do it?"

"It won't be easy, but I think I can manage. She knows everything you've taught her, so I'm going to need a crash course, and I need it now."

"We'll need to work fast then. There's no telling what those two are truly capable of at the moment. Angelus has committed true atrocities through the ages, and I fear what Buffy is capable of being inspired by."

"What's that old saying, every person has the capability of being evil?" Pausing for a moment, Faith nevertheless continued. "Oh wait, she's not a person anymore, she's a vamp, just like all the rest."

"I don't think it would be in our best interest to involve any of the others. The fact that Buffy is now a vampire is a big enough blow to them without making them help in her…end."

"So, you're going to protect them by not telling them until after she's nothing more than a pile of dust? Smart plan. What are you going to do when they rebel?"

"And trust me, we will." Twisting her head, Faith found herself looking into Cordelia's eyes as she came to stand only a few feet behind the Slayer. "Giles, we're already involved in this, don't try to cut us out of the loop."

"Cordelia, how long have you been standing there?" Giles asked, setting the cup he had been holding down onto the table.

"Long enough. We're going to help take Buffy down, whether you like it or not. How you could even consider leaving us out of this is completely beyond me. I mean, have you gone insane?" Behind her, the forms of Xander, Oz, and Willow appeared, the three teenagers remaining silent as Cordelia continued to speak. "You saw what she did to Little Miss Slayer over here, do you really think some crash course of everything you taught Buffy is going to help her fight?"

"Not that it wouldn't help, but I'm kinda seeing the Prom Queen's point, G-Man. We're going to need numbers on our side, considering that we're facing a Slayer-turned-vampire, and a vamp who's kill count rivals the Plague."

"What would you suggest we do then?" The Watcher asked, avoiding Willow's gaze as he spoke. The girl has stopped crying, but the tears still remained wet on her cheeks.

"You've got an entire library full of books, and you're asking me?"

"Considering the fact that you are the Slayer here, I think he's got a point." Xander said, breaking his chain of silence.

"Personally, I think we should at least see if there's some way we can weaken Buffy, or even get her to turn traitor to Angelus. I'd rather take on one of them than have to fight both at the same time."

"Most of the books I have regarding such matters would still be at the library. We should gather there tomorrow, after your classes of course." The Watcher answered, nodding at the teenagers standing behind the Slayer. "That would give us adequate time to bring you up to speed on the methods by which Buffy knows how to fight."

"I'm going to find that Spell." Willow said, making her way past both Faith and Cordelia. "Giles, how can you even think of not wanting to find it?"

"It's not that I don't want it, Willow, it's just that…the translation of it was lost for centuries, and now that we are no longer in possession of the translation itself, I fear our chances of reacquiring it are extremely slim."

"But they still exist, and I'm personally going to have to go with those odds." Resting his hand on her shoulder, Oz was otherwise silent as Willow continued to speak. "She's our friend, Giles, we owe it to her to at least try."


	8. Casualty

**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed so far! You guys and gals are awesome! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Can you tell me what exactly we're looking for up here?" Xander asked, shinning the flashlight beam ahead of them. Behind him, Willow followed him as closely as possible, given the cramped conditions that they now found themselves in.

"Giles said the things he took from Ms. Calendar's apartment are up here somewhere."

"And why exactly did our fearless leader take a dead woman's things?"

"Most of them were things regarding magick, plus I think he…wanted to have something to remember her." As the flashlight beam landed on a large pile of boxes, the two teenagers managed to pull themselves into an awkward sitting position, the roof of the flat pressing slightly against their backs. Pulling one of the boxes closer to her, Willow opened the flaps, digging amongst the things inside for anything that seemed like it would help in her search to find a copy of the Restoration Spell. The teacher couldn't have simply kept but one copy, there _had_ to be another one somewhere. That thought had led her to look through the woman's things, looking for books, print-outs, floppy disks, anything that might lead her to the answer she sought.

"I take it that a picture wasn't enough?" Xander added, looking through the box closest to him while he spoke.

"You know how much she meant to him, something tells me a picture wasn't going to be enough for him." Pushing the box away from her, the red-head grabbed another one and began to shift through that one as well.

"Still, I feel bad for the guy. Out of any of us, he got the worst from Deadboy's twisted mind." As he finished his sentence, he held a few floppy disks of various colors up into the dim light from the flashlight. "Would these help?"

"Maybe, just set them down and I'll take a look at them later." Silently obeying her, Xander once again resumed his search through the box. As he reached the bottom, his eyes lit up, the reaction able to be seen by Willow even despite the lighting.

"What, what did you find?"

"Does a laptop make you feel all happy inside?"

"_What_? Let me see it." As he pulled the slightly dusty machine from its tomb, Xander attempted to blow some of the dust off of the laptop, the effect making the material swirl in the light.

"I take it that you can get into it?"

"Even if its password protected, I think I can find a way around it." Setting the laptop down at her side, Willow pushed the remaining box away, and began to move back towards the trapdoor that concealed the loft itself. "Remember the floppy disks when you come back down. And grab that last box."

* * *

"So, the G Man tells me that you're becoming quite the little Sabrina." Faith said, keeping her eyes focused on the shadows that surrounded every inch of the graveyard.

"He did?" Willow replied, gripping the stake in her hand just a little tighter as her eyes began to play tricks on her.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about you having a thing for trying to restore souls. It's kinda cool to tell ya the truth. Not that I'm thinking about taking it up as a hobby." Squinting her eye, the red-head peered into the darkness once again, her mind already starting to imagine the horrors that could be out there hiding from them. She had already been the attempted victim of too many evil things to ever fully feel safe at night again.

"Um….thanks. You sense any vampires around?" Looking into the same shadows, the Slayer rolled her eyes from the boredom she was feeling.

"Nope. I'm hoping I do pretty soon though, as much fun as it is walking through a deserted graveyard with you and a bunch of dead guys and gals for company, I'd like a little action."

"I think I can fix that for you." Emerging from behind a nearby tree, a figure covered in black clothing began to make its way towards them. Taking a few steps back, Willow could already see Faith slipping into a fighting stance, holding her fists up in front of her.

"Ah, the new Slayer, Buff was telling me about you. She said you fight like a girl."

"Oh, and so she sent you to do her own work? Sounds like she has you whipped." Grinning as the remark left her lip, the Slayer watched as the vampire in front of her laughed.

"At least you have almost the same amount of wit as she does. I'll tell ya, Faith, this makes things a lot more fun when you have all this banter going back and forth."

"I take it that she does that with you right before bed?"

"Among other things that you're probably too young to properly know about." Angelus shrugged, the grin disappearing from his face.

"I don't think I got your name, although you seem to know mine. So why don't we get the introductions over with before I make you met my wooden friend. You're Angelus, right? Tall, broody, has a passion for blood-lust?"

"And someone who knows their history as well. Gotta say, you're one of the smarter Slayers I've seen in my time."

"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"Alright, you're obviously in the mood for a fight, so why don't we get on with this?" Raising his fists, Angelus' face morphed into its true form, his yellow eyes glowing in the darkness that surrounded him. "You want to throw a few punches at me, Willow? I'm sure you've got quite a fight in you."

"Um, no thanks, I'm all good, no fighting here." The vampire smiled at the response, but otherwise said nothing as he returned his gaze to the vampire Slayer in front of him.

"So, let's see how well you fight." In the blink of an eye, he had lunged for her, the Slayer being forced to go on the defensive, just as she had during her fight with Buffy. Barely managing to avoid the vampire's fists, Faith found herself being pushed further and further back.

"Come on, Faith, show me some of that Slayer spirit that everyone talks about!" He mocked, smiling as one of his punches finally broke through her defenses. Her body momentarily sent reeling from the attack, the Slayer felt her body crash through a nearby tombstone, the nearly ancient stone crumbling in the process. Rolling over onto her back, she could feel every bone in her body aching. _I'm not paying for that…_

"You know, I'm beginning to see why Buff didn't think you were much of a threat. You can barely stand on your own feet." He was looking down at her now, his yellow eyes seemingly piercing her soul. Leaning down, he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and slowly picked her up. "Again, I think maybe they should have sent Giles a better Slayer."

"Why don't you put me down and I'll show you a better Slayer." She replied, looking past the vampire in time to see Willow slowly making her towards the two of them, her stake still gripped in her hand.

"Sounds tempting, but I'm happy where you are right now. Granted, you could be bleeding a little bit more, but that's just being picky." The girl was almost behind him now, her steps light and slow.

"Why, does it make you 'happy' when girls bleed? Sounds like a little bit creepy, even for me." From behind him, Angelus heard a twig snap, causing him to turn just as Willow began to plunge her stake towards him. The object hitting him firmly in the middle of his chest, he stumbled for a moment, his grip on Faith's jacket refusing to falter. Turning to face the teenager, the vampire's face broke out into a smile.

"You missed by a couple inches, Willow." He said, using his free hand to pull the stake from his chest and toss it back at the girl's feet. "Want to try again?" Dropping the Slayer, he began to make his way towards the girl. Staring back at him, Willow's eyes were filled with fear. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" With only a few feet separating them, the red-head closed her eyes, fear completely overtaking her mind.

"Hey, Angelus." Hearing the Slayer's voice, he turned, his body completely unprepared for the branch that slammed into his chest. "I don't like my guys paying attention to other girls." Opening her eyes, Willow watched as Faith continued her assault, the Slayer bringing the limb down upon every inch of the vampire's body. "I take that back. I'm kinda happy where I've got you."

"Alright, enough." Grabbing the limb in mid-air, he threw the branch back at her, the full force of it hitting the girl in both her chest and throat. Getting back onto his feet, he lunged for her, his fists already clenched. Bringing both himself and the girl to the ground, he swung at her, his fist hitting the ground as Faith managed to squirm out of the way. Struggling to push the vampire off of her body, she gathered all of her strength and kicked up with her legs, the force being enough to push him off of her. Scrambling, the Slayer and the vampire were back on their feet within moments, their fists clenched and bodies already locked into their respective fighting stances.

"I take it back, you can fight, but you're still a child in a teenager's clothes."

"I could say the same for you. So, why don't you launch into the typical villain sepal, and tell me exactly what you and your mate are planning to do?"

"I don't think it really matters to you, considering that you're not one of her idiotic friends. Besides, you won't be around to see it."

"Seems to be a little early for you to be making assumptions. Care to elaborate?" Smiling at her, Angelus lowered his fists.

"You'll find out soon enough. I think it's a little past your bedtime. Night_, Slayer_." Turning his back to her, he started walking, eventually disappearing into the shadows that covered the graveyard.

"Faith?" Turning her head, the Slayer looked back at Willow as the girl made her way towards her. "You alright?"

"Five by five. I think we'd better get back to Giles' place before any of your friends' buddies show up to give us a party. Not that I'm not willing to partake, but you're not really the kind of person I need out here. No offense."

"None taken, I kinda agree with you. Besides, I want to get back to going through Ms. Calendar's laptop, I'm hoping that she left some of the information regarding the Restoration Spell on it."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

"There has to be something on here." Willow said underneath her breath, tapping a few more keys as she continued to sit at the computer. Pictured over the monitor in front of her, the ancient symbols continued to puzzle her, their meaning locked away in a dead language she was no closer to understanding. Sighing in defeat, she closed the document and opened another, the amount of files that were on the floppy disk beginning to shrink. There were still a few more disks, but the waiting was beginning to take its toll on the teenager.

She had been hoping that perhaps Ms. Calendar had saved a copy of her translation onto the laptop she had managed to hack into, but so far, her hopes had been in vain. Still, she pressed on with her search, tirelessly looking through every document she could find. She had seen numerous translations of dead languages, many of whom she had helped the teacher scan from the wealth of books that inhabited the library's shelves. As the ancient text appeared on screen, she felt her heart skip a few beats as she looked at the stone, the symbols spread across its surface seemingly familiar.

"Giles, could you translate this? It…it seems familiar." She asked, her gaze refusing to move from the screen in front of her. As he crossed the room, the Watcher's heart was still aching from the various books that held Jenny's handwriting, the familiarity of the different strokes striking him like a slap to the face. It only drove home the fact that she was really gone, her soul having departed from this Earth. She had left his world just as soon as she had entered it.

Looking into the lit screen, he passed his eyes over the ancient text that the girl had pulled up. Most of the words and symbols were unfamiliar to him, but he picked out a few of the words, with most of the characters that he could read originating from various Latin phrases.

"Spell...of…Restoration." As the words left his mouth, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in both his and Willow's minds.

"Giles, I…I think that this is the tome that Ms. Calendar translated." Turning to full face the Watcher, she felt her hopes leap out of the pit that they had fallen into after Buffy had stolen the disk. "If we could translate this fully, we could restore Buffy's soul!"

"Think carefully, Willow. Are you sure that doing this is the right thing to do?"

"What do you mean? She could be good again, she would be _Buffy_ again." She looked at him with a confused look adorning her eyes.

"And she would have to live with the same unbearable guilt that Angel has suffered through for decades. Would you want to put her through that, would you be able to live with yourself?" He asked, taking his glasses off and cleaning them with the bottom of his shirt. Getting onto her feet, Willow stared at him with a newly renewed conviction in her eyes.

"I would rather have her like Angel than have to watch Faith kill her. Giles, how can you even consider sending her out to kill Buffy? I can hear it in the way you talk that you don't really want to do it."

"It's not whether I want to or not, it's what _needs_ to be done. She has become a threat, and we are all in great danger. That includes you, Cordelia, Xander, myself, Oz, and…_oh Lord.._."

"What, what's wrong?"

"Have you talked to Buffy's mother recently?"

"No, what are you…oh no."

"I think we need to get to her right away."

* * *

The TV continued to play on, its sound seemingly lost as Joyce's attention faded away from the movie that she had barely been watching. Once again, she found herself staring at the picture on the table beside her, the smiling faces of herself, her ex-husband, and her daughter staring back at her. The house around her had been deathly silent for the past few weeks, with only the sound of her own footsteps following her, or the sound of some old movie playing in the background.

The words that she last said to her daughter played over and over again in her head, haunting her. She had been so unwilling to listen to her, had been so close-minded that she had in effect pushed Buffy away, had forced her to disappear. She could be anywhere out there in the world, living on the streets or even dead, and the only reason that she wasn't here now was because she had driven her away, had told her to never come back.

A knock at the door shook the woman from her thoughts. Getting back onto her feet, Joyce made her way to the door, her heart momentarily hoping that her daughter would be the person knocking. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to look 'normal', and opened the door.

"Mom?" As the word left the girl's lips, Joyce felt her heart stop for a moment as her eyes fell on the spot where Buffy was standing, her clothes dirty and ripped in various places.

"Buffy?" She answered, unable to voice any other words as she took a few steps towards her daughter. Her feet crossed the threshold as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. Slowly, the girl responded to the hug, wrapping her own arms around her mother's shoulders.

"Mrs. Summers!" Looking up, she managed to see Giles and Willow exiting the Watcher's vehicle, their tones of voice frantic and full of fear. "Get away from her!"

"Sorry mom." As the voice echoed in her ears, Joyce looked down at her daughter, a pair of blue eyes greeting her in the process. "Nothing personal." The words still fresh on her lips, Buffy's face morphed into its true form, and she bit into her mother's neck, the blood instantly flowing down her throat. As Willow and Giles rushed up the sidewalk towards the house, a figure clothed in black stepped in front of them, effectively blocking their approach.

"You know, I think maybe you should let them have some alone time. Family matters are always so personal." Angelus said, his own face morphing into its vamp form. As he swung at them, Giles managed to push Willow out of the way, effectively absorbing every inch of the vampire's fist. His body slamming into the ground, the Watcher could feel pain flowing through every inch of his body.

"And how about you, Willow? Fancy having a go at me? I know how much you enjoyed putting that stake into me back at the graveyard." Angelus said, holding his arms out at his sides. "Come on, I'll even give you a free shot." Reaching into her pocket, Willow pulled out the cross that she had taken to carrying with her, and held it out in front of her. Looking at the object, the vampire laughed.

"I'm _scared_, really I am. Well, guess since I can't attack you, I'll have some fun with Giles over here." Making his way over to where the Watcher was still lying on the ground, the vampire picked him up by his shirt.

"So, what do you say, Giles? Wanna go see Jenny?"

"Don't you _dare_ mention her to me." The Watcher forced out, his body still almost entirely overwhelmed by the force of the punch that he had taken.

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny." The vampire said, his tone similar to that of a three year old. "You know, she made such an interesting sound when her neck snapped. It was like a pop, but more…_wet_."

"Angelus." Turning his head, the vampire found Buffy waiting for him on the steps to the house, blood still fresh on her lips. "I'm ready to go now."

"Buffy…" Willow whispered, her eyes falling on the dead body of Joyce Summers behind the vampire that had formerly been her best friend.

"Hello, Willow. Nice to see you again." She replied, smiling at the red head in the process. "Thanks for the disk by the way. It helped heat the mansion for a few seconds."

"You…you…"

"Me. Still here, Wills. What, do you want me to come over and give you a hug?"

"You killed your own mother…"

"I was hungry. You could still have some if you want. Blood's actually part of a very healthy diet." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Buffy continued to smile at the girl, enjoying the mixture of fear, shock, and hurt on her face.

"Are you ready to go, Angelus? Or do you want to play with Giles some more?"

"Not much fun with Watcher boy just lying there. You wanna toss him around for a while?"

"I'm good." Turning her head for a slight moment, Buffy looked back at Willow just in time to see the girl running towards her, the silver cross still held in her hand. Rolling her eyes, the vampire waited until the last possible second and side-stepped the girl, almost laughing as Willow ran into the porch.

"Really, I would rather not hurt you, Wills, so why don't you just go help Giles?" Ignoring the sarcastic response, the girl again ran at the vampire, the time managing to get within grabbing distance before the vampire dodged her once again.

"Come on, stop playing around." Pushing herself off the ground, the red head against charged at the vampire, throwing the cross she held in her hand at the vampire. Unable to see the object until it was too late, the vampire momentarily cried out in pain as the cross landed on her exposed arm, the material burning into her flesh almost instantly. Pushing the cross off of her arm, Buffy's face morphed into its vampire form, her yellow eyes staring at the girl with pure anger.

"That wasn't the smartest thing to do." Tackling Willow, she held the girl's throat in her hand. "I would recommend that you go home, and avoid any crosses." Loosening her grip on her former friend's throat, the vampire returned to her feet, and took Angelus' waiting hand.

"Night Giles, Willow. _Have fun_." Walking down the sidewalk like any normal couple, the two turned the corner and were gone, leaving Willow to rush over to Giles' side, her breathing starting to return to normal.

"Giles, are you alright?"

"I've felt better." Helping the Watcher get back onto her feet, Willow looked at the cross, the silver piece barely reflecting any of the light from the nearby porch. Looking anywhere else, the girl avoided even glimpsing Mrs. Summer's body, the sight of her daughter drinking her blood already haunting the girl's thoughts. "What are we going to do? Should we call the police?"

"That would be the right thing to do. After that, we'll need to make sure that neither Buffy nor Angelus have open invitations at any houses. I trust that you've already revoked her invitation at your home?"

"Did it last night. Giles, could we…could we have prevented this?"

"I…I don't think so, Willow. There's no time for coulds or woulds right now. We'd better get the authorities down here right away."


	9. Another Stab In The Heart

**A big thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate all the people that take the time and leave comments about the chapters. All of you guys and gals are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Angel. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"So, let me get this straight, Buffy killed her own _mother_, someone who was no threat to her whatsoever, her boyfriend almost killed Giles, and she held you by the throat, and you're still going to try and restore her soul?" Xander asked, the disbelief in his voice flowing through the entire room. Standing at his side, Cordelia was otherwise silent; a strange occurrence considering how much the cheerleader loved to voice her thoughts.

"That _thing_ isn't Buffy." Willow answered, looking up at her friend from the chair she had placed herself in. "It's just a demon controlling her body. Xander, we have to bring her soul back. She's still in there somewhere."

"Willow, if we bring her back, do you realize all the guilt that she is going to suffer through?" Cordy added, her tone matching Xander's in every way possible. "It'll destroy her."

"_So_? Angel suffered through guilt, and he survived it, so why can't Buffy do the same? They can help each other through it!"

"Wills, how do we know that she won't try to kill herself? Becoming a vampire was the single thing she feared most. What is she going to do when she finds out that she's become the very thing that she's supposed to be fighting?"

"So you think we should just let her die. Let the demon inside of her be killed by Faith, and have her soul die with it?" Standing up, Willow looked into her friend's eyes. "You _want_ her to die."

"What would Buffy do if she were in your shoes? If you had been turned into a vampire, she would make sure you weren't in pain. She wouldn't want you suffering through the guilt."

"The Buffy _I_ knew wouldn't abandon me in my moment of need." Turning away, the red-head grabbed the laptop and held it up for Xander and Cordelia to see. "It's right here, all we need to do is finish translating it, and we can restore Buffy's soul, Angel's too! How can you _not_ see that?"

"Again, can you imagine the guilt that they would feel? Wills, Buffy killed her own mother, that's going to leave some pretty deep scars. It might even be too much for her and Deadboy to handle it."

"I'm going to do this spell, with or without your help." Turning away, Willow set the laptop back down atop her bag, and started to gather her things.

"You can't seriously be considering walking home, not right now." Cordy said, shaking her head slightly in the process. "Suicidal much?"

"I'm obviously not going to get much help sitting around here." The red-head replied, pushing her way past both Xander and Cordelia with the laptop underneath her arm. Ignoring any more of the two's comments, she opened the door and walked out into the night, pulling the cross necklace out of her pocket, and held it in her hand. Closing the door behind her, she started to make the trek to her house, alone.

* * *

"Congratulations, you've officially killed a member of your own flesh and blood. How does your own blood taste?" Angelus inquired, shutting the door behind them as the first rays of the sun began to appear on the horizon. Compared to the light of dawn outside, the inside of the mansion was enthralled in darkness, the lights all having been shut off, and the fire having died only an hour earlier.

"I can feel my head spinning, if that's what you want to know." Buffy answered, twirling in place for a moment before she laid down on the couch in front of the fire-place. "Did you feel like this when you killed your entire family?"

"More or less. Took a while for me to come down from the feeling of it. Still, it's nothing compared to your blood."

"Ah, the fabled indescribable taste of a Slayer's blood." She said, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back into the single pillow on the piece of furniture. "I wonder how Faith's would taste."

"No telling what's in her system. She could be poisoned or some other_ genius_ idea. Really, your friends could actually come up with an idea that's not borderline retarded."

"That's one way of putting it." She laughed, rolling over onto her side as she watched Angelus toss wood into the fire place. "Still, one of them is a Witch, another is a werewolf, and the other is Watcher with a large array of books. Not a big threat, but still, it's a threat nevertheless."

"One that we can easily deal with. That Slayer is who I want out of the way first. She doesn't fight that well, just like you said, but she's still managed to piss me off."

"I think that everyone I used to be friends with has pissed you off at least once."

"Can you blame me?" Grabbing a steel poker from the nearby stand, Angelus thrust the object into the ashes of the fire, causing sparks to fly up into the air. "You assembled quite the gathering of whinny, hormone filled teenagers around you."

"And let me guess, you want to slaughter each and every one of them because of it?"

"Something similar. I was hoping you'd take part in it. Rite of passage and all that jazz."

"You just always want more blood, don't you?" Buffy asked, smiling at her sire turned back towards her.

"I'd rather not have a lingering threat around us, especially considering that one of your former friends is a Witch, not a very knowledgeable one, but a powerful one nevertheless."

"So, why don't we do something even worse than kill her?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Take out something close to her heart. Doing that would be even worse than simply killing her. She would feel the pain of it inside her, a pain even worse than dying."

"You know she'll feel like this through personal experience?"

"I know Willow, she already feels terrible about what I've become, can you imagine how she'll feel when someone even closer to her is taken from her in a gruesome way?" Looking back at her, Angelus smiled.

"Then I guess we'd better pay your friends another visit soon.

* * *

"Hey, Wills." Looking up from the book she had buried herself in, Willow found Xander standing before him, a look on his face that defied all description.

"What do you want, Xander?"

"I…I wanted to apologize for last night. No-one is trying to say that you can't try and restore Buffy's soul, it's just…it's weird, our vampire Slayer becoming a vampire, and terrorizing all of us."

"I know how you feel. A few weeks ago, the thought of Buffy becoming the thing that she's destined to fight would have seemed unreal to me. But now…she's dead."

"Look, if you need any help in trying to translate the ancient symbol thingy, I'm here. I can't imagine the guilt that she'll feel once her soul comes back, but…we'll help her deal with it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I've got the first couple lines of it already written down from memory, but I'm having trouble with anything else. Giles is doing his best to translate some of them, but he said that even he doesn't know all of them."

"The book man not knowing an ancient symbol? _We're doomed_." Xander sarcastically replied, the joke almost succeeding in bringing a smile to Willow's face.

"Still, he's looking a few things up, hopefully he can get some more of it translated while I get more written down. Oz and Cordelia are writing down what they remember, although I'm not expecting much from the Cordy side of things."

"I can understand where you're coming from on that."

"Glad to know we're on the same page."

* * *

"You don't talk much, do you?" Faith asked, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket as she and Oz continued down the sidewalk towards the cemetery. The night was still young, as evident by the echoing sounds of the Bronze, located only a few blocks away from their current position. "Silent type?"

"You could say that." Oz replied, not bothering to look at the vampire Slayer as he spoke.

"Nothing wrong with that. Nice change of pace considering how talkative your girlfriend is." Around them, the night air was slightly cold, causing her to pull her jacket just a little tighter around her frame. "Not that I'm dissing her or anything."

"Understood." As the words left his lips, both Oz and Faith's attentions were drawn away as a scream pierced through the night. Without saying a further word, the two rushed in to the cemetery, passing freshly dug graves and ancient tombstones. Ahead of them, in the dim lighting that the moon allowed, they caught sight of a small group of vamps surrounding a girl, her eyes filled with fear.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" One of the vamps asked her, smiling as the girl continued to stutter, the words becoming locked inside her throat.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" Faith said aloud, walking slowly towards the group. She smiled as every head turned towards her as the words left her lips. "A couple of vamps looking for a free meal. Sorry to tell ya, but the all you can eat buffet is closed_. As of now._" Not wasting anytime to hear the demons' responses, she launched herself at the closest vamp, almost smiling as she heard something in the demon's body break underneath the force of her kick. Rushing to the aid of their companion, the remaining two vamps began to throw punches, hoping they could manage to land a hit on the Slayer. Ducking underneath the group's assaults, Faith pulled a stake out of her jacket pocket, and quickly pushed it through the chest of the vampire still lying dazed on the ground nearby.

As the vamp disappeared into a pile of dust, the Slayer looked up just in time to see the vamp's fist slamming into her shoulder, the attack nearly making her lose her balance. Falling back for only a moment, she felt the other vamp locked his arms around her arms, effectively holding her as his companion ran towards Faith, her fists already clenched as she pulled her arm back to launch a punch at the Slayer. Ducking, the girl jabbed her elbow into the vamp's stomach, his arms releasing her in the process. Kicking the other vamp's legs out from under her, the Slayer stomped her foot down onto the demon's chest.

"Wrong move, trying to hit me when I'm not able to hit back." She said, quickly retrieving her stake and slamming it through the demon's chest. As the vampire disappeared into a pile of dust, the Slayer quickly moved onto the last vamp, a smile coming to her face.

"It's just you and me now, come and get me."

* * *

"Minions. It's so hard to find good help these days." Buffy said, her arms crossed in front of her as both she and Angelus observed the scene unfolding below them.

"True. Still, numbers somewhat make up for their lack of skill." Angelus replied, his own focus also on the battle going on below.

"Shame we don't have Spike here. Something tells me that he'd have a field-day with Faith." She added, turning her head to look up at her sire. "What do you think?"

"He'll probably show back up sometime. Cause enough destruction and death, and he'll come calling."

"You know that from experience?"

"He's like a puppy. A blood-thirsty one, but you get the point."

"Yep." Seeing that only one of their minions remained, she unfolded her arms and let them fall back to her sides. "I think it's time we pay the Slayer a visit, what do you think?"

"Definitely. Shall we?" Jumping down from the mausoleum, Buffy and Angelus landed and casually made their way towards the Slayer, their footsteps emitting no noise as they walked through the unkempt grass.

* * *

"You ok?" Oz asked, helping the girl back to her feet as Faith continued to fight the last vamp. Looking back at him, the girl simply nodded, her body shaking badly as he led her around the side of a nearby mausoleum. Pressing her back against the cool marble material, she nervously watched the battle unfolding only a few feet away.

"P-p-please tell me those w-weren't v-vampires."

"Afraid they were. Look, you're safe, ok?"

"O-ok." The girl echoed, watching as Faith thrust her stake into the remaining vampire's chest, causing him to explode into a shower of dust. Giving a look around the tombstones to make sure there weren't any reinforcements coming, the Slayer made her way towards where Oz and the girl were hunkered down.

"That's all of them, I can't sense any more."

"Good to know." Oz answered, turning his attention to the girl beside him. "She's a little shook up, but other than that, she's not hurt."

"Guess it's your lucky day. You got a name?"

"T-Tara Maclay . W-What are y-y-you?"

"_The one girl in all the world._" As the voice echoed through the night, the group looked around, the voice's owner still nowhere in sight.

"Buffy?" Oz said, looking into the shadows that surrounded himself and the two girls.

"Great, just who we needed to see." Faith added, gripping the stake in her hand a little tighter. "Mr. and Mrs. Evil."

"W-What's g-going on?" Tara asked, her body still pressed against the mausoleum, her body starting to shake again.

"Trust me when I say, you don't want to know." Faith replied, her eyes still scanning the area around them.

"You know, they do say knowledge is power." Buffy said, her form seemingly appearing atop the mausoleum that Oz and Tara had pressed themselves against. Turning around, Faith found herself staring at both Buffy and Angelus, the two vampires smiling as they stared down at the three teenagers before them.

"Hello again, Faith. Your bruises heal yet?" She asked, the mocking tone in her voice almost making the Slayer throw her stake at the vampire.

"I was just going to ask the same thing to your boyfriend over there. Tell me Angelus, your body still sore from the tree branch you became friends with?"

"Nice to see you again too, Faith." Angelus answered, his face morphing into its vampire form. "Ready to try again? I'm sure that you could at least manage to come close to staking me this time."

"Next time you want to fight, Buffy, don't send your whipped sire after me. Do it yourself." Faith said, twirling the stake in her hand as she spoke.

"Trust me, Faith, nothing would make me happier than to make you shut up. I just had more pressing matters last night. Family problems, as I'm sure you've heard."

"Yeah, congrats. I take it if you had a sister, you'd kill her too?"

"Probably. You know how annoying little sisters can be. Or _do _you? Maybe you were just an abused little girl whose mother drank too much, and basically abandoned her." As she stared back at the vampire, Faith was completely silent, the memories she had tried to bury coming back to the forefront of her mind.

_"How do you know that?"_

"As I said before, knowledge is power. What, did I strike a little too close to home for you?" The vampire asked, jumping down in front of Faith as she continued to speak. "Did I make the poor Slayer feel sad about how much love she never received?"

"Stay away from me." Faith replied, backing up as Buffy continued to advance on her.

"Poor Faith, the girl that no-one wanted. Tell me, when you came here and started talking to my former friends, did you expect them to _love_ you? To_ accept_ you? To finally give you everything you never had when you were a child? Sorry to tell you, but that's not how the world works."

"I'm warning you, stay away from me." The Slayer answered, raising the stake in her hand as if to show that she was serious. In one swift motion, Buffy kicked the wooden object out of her hand and sent it flying through the air.

"Come on, Faith. Show me that anger that you must feel at knowing no-one will ever accept you." She continued, tilting her head at the Slayer standing in front of her. "Or are you too afraid?"

"_Shut up_!" Faith yelled, throwing a wild punch at the vampire, the attack easily deflected by Buffy. As she held the girl's fist in her hand, she smiled.

"I'm stronger than you ever will be, Faith." She said, punching the Slayer with all the strength in her body. "Surely you can see that." From where she lay on the ground, Faith spat hard, already able to taste blood on her tongue. As she tried to get back onto her feet, she felt Buffy's boot press down into her back, effectively preventing her from getting back up.

"You know I'm right, about everything. I was stronger than you when I was a human, I'm stronger than you now. Keep trying to fight me, and you'll end up dead. Understand?" Raising her head slightly, Faith felt her skull being pushed back down into the ground. "Spit on me again, and I promise you I'll do worse things than the beating I gave you before." Removing her boot from the Slayer's back, Buffy made her way back to where Angelus and the remaining two teenagers were still standing.

"Alright, I'm going to be straightforward with this." She said, stopping in front of Oz. "I need to send Willow a message, and guess what? You're the one I've picked to do that." Before the boy could respond, she reached out, grabbed his neck, and promptly snapped it, smiling as the sound of bone snapping echoed through the air. Her body pressed against the mausoleum's stone, Tara had covered her face with her hands, trying to make everything around her simply go away. Kneeling down onto her knees, Buffy pulled the girl's hands away from her face.

"Look, you see that body over there?" Refusing to look at Oz's motionless body, Tara simply nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape from her eyes. Seeing the reaction, the vampire simply smiled. "Good. I want you to follow Faith, tell everyone around her what just happened, understand?" Again, a simply nod was the girl's only response. Getting back onto her feet, Buffy smiled at Angelus as her sire admired the broken bones in Oz's neck.

"You want any of the blood inside him?" She asked, coming to stand beside him.

"Werewolf blood isn't particularly high on my list." He answered, looking down at her with a grin on his face. "Not after what happened in Romania that one time."

"Well then, I think our business here is concluded. Let's go find something to eat."

"Why not just take the girl? Surely Faith can just tell all of your little friends what just happened."

"Something tells me that the girl will tell and describe things better than Faith can, considering that the Slayer's lost in her own thoughts right now."

"Fair enough. Let's get out of here, I think you've hurt the Slayer and your friends enough for one night."


	10. Initiative

**We've reached a half-way point! This is, by far, the longest Buffy fanfic I've ever written, and I'm happy that I've been able to make it this far. I hope you all are enjoying it, and I hope you will continue to do so :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters from the show. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Joss, you are my god.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The room was utterly silent as Giles and Willow continued to work on translating the ancient symbols that lay on the screen in front of them. So far, their translation was beginning to come together, but it was still far from being a completed thing that they could use. Xander and Cordelia had gone home for the night, and Oz had gone out on patrol with Faith only a few hours earlier. The news of Joyce's murder the night before still hung over the group's minds like a black cloud, the images of Buffy's fangs digging deep into her mother's throat being enough to make their efforts seem in vain.

As the door opened, revealing the Slayer and a girl to the two translators, the entire emotion in the room changed almost instantly. Seeing the look on Faith's face, Willow pushed herself away from the table, and caught the look in the Slayer's eyes, the emotion in them barely restrained.

"Where's Oz?" She asked, noticing that her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen behind the two girls. Looking away, the Slayer nevertheless answered.

"He's dead." As the sentence left her lips, Faith avoided the look that rapidly came to the young Witch's face. The words flowing through her mind, Willow felt her heart stop beating for a single moment, a pain erupting in her chest in the process.

"_What?"_

"We were on patrol, and Buffy decided to pay us a visit." Behind them, Giles removed his glasses and stared down at the floor, mouthing something similar to "_Good Lord_". Her gaze refusing to flinch, Willow fought a losing battle to keep the tears welling in her eyes from beginning to flow down her cheeks.

"S-She s-s-snapped his n-neck." The girl said, her entire body shaking as she spoke. Looking at her, the Witch felt something similar to anger beginning to boil within her veins, the emotion going hand in hand with the sympathy she felt for what the girl had witnessed. She looked to be barely a year older than she was, but the innocence that seemingly flowed off of her overwhelmed any similar thought. Returning her gaze to the Slayer, Willow continued to let the anger bubbling inside her think for her.

"You saved this girl, but you couldn't save Oz?" Hearing the words coming out of the Witch, Faith looked at the girl with her own amount of anger.

"Why don't you try getting punched in the face by a super vamp, and get back up in time to prevent someone's neck from getting snapped!" She replied, looking at the girl with anger that no-one in the room had seen from her thus far. "I was the one out there, so don't you even_ think_ about throwing some of the blame on me! You could have kept your precious little boyfriend here, but you let him go out there with me! He knew exactly what kind of danger there was!"

"Answer the question!" Willow responded, her voice almost at a shouting level.

"_S-She l-let me l-live_." The girl spoke up with, her voice almost going unheard by Willow and Faith. Turning towards the trembling girl, the Witch took a few cautious steps towards her, not wanting to run the risk of scaring her off.

"What?" She asked, trying to force some of the anger she felt out of her voice.

"She w-wanted m-m-me to t-tell you w-what I-I-I s-saw." She answered, keeping her eyes peeled to the floor below her. "I-I'll g-go n-now."

"No, no, it's alright, please, come in." Laying her hand on the girl's shoulder, the red-head could feel the girl trembling beneath her loose touch. Giving her a small push, Willow lead the girl into the living room, and motioned for her to sit down on the nearby couch. There were tears freely flowing down the red-head's cheeks now, and she quickly wiped them off with the back of her sleeve. As the girl sat back into the couch, she closed her eyes, her body still trembling slightly, although she was starting to calm herself down.

"Just wait right here." Willow said, returning back to where Faith and Giles were still standing, both of them silent and unsure of what they could possibly say.

"Where's the body?" She asked, her voice starting to fade into nothing more than a whisper.

"Still back at the cemetery. I figured that one of you would know what to do."

"You just _left_ him there?!"

"What was _I_ supposed to do? Just walk through town with a dead body in my arms?" Faith replied, the anger in her voice still present, but dramatically less prominent than it had been before. "I'm sure that would have went over well with the police here."

"Did you at least hide it? What if some rogue demon out there comes and makes a snack out of him?!"

"He's _dead_, Red. You really think his body being a little ripped up can bring him back?" Swinging her hand, Willow allowed anger to take over her body as she slapped the Slayer across her face.

"You don't get to talk about him like that! You didn't even _know_ him!" She screamed at Faith, the only thing preventing her from landing more punches on the girl's face being Giles holding her back.

"Willow!" He said, doing his best to prevent her from coming close enough to strike Faith again. Looking back at the Witch, the Slayer was silent, the skin on her cheek starting to redden, but nothing else about her seemingly hurt.

"Get out of here!" Willow screamed, almost smiling as she watched the Slayer walk out the door, slamming the wooden object behind her. Looking into her eyes, Giles pushed the girl down into a nearby chair, again preventing her from getting up and pursuing the now departed Slayer. In the living room, Tara silently watched on, unable to ignore the entire scene.

"Willow, get a hold of yourself!" The Watcher shouted, the words leaving his lips only inches away from her face.

"How can you tell me that when she talked about Oz like that? He's _dead_, Giles!"

"And do you really think he would have wanted you to start fighting with our only Slayer? If we begin to break apart now, then Buffy and Angelus have already won!" Hearing the reason in the man's words, Willow closed her eyes, again letting the tears flow down her cheeks in droves. The past two days had brought her nothing but grief, so much of it that she wasn't sure her heart would be able to stand any more of the emotion. Burying her head into his shoulder, she felt Giles wrap his arms around her, not saying a word as he allowed her to continue to cry.

* * *

Sweat covering every inch of her body, Buffy smiled at her sire as she rolled off of him and onto the empty part of the bed.

"You getting tired?" She asked, flashing him a grin that showed off some of the blood-thirst she felt inside. His eyes flowing up and down his mate's body, Angelus returned the grin, chuckling underneath his breath in the process.

"Are you?"

"You of all people should know I'm enjoying this." She answered, the grin still on her lips as she spoke. Leaning her head against her propped up hand, she closed her eyes for only a moment before she rested them on her sire again. "Trust me, _more_ than enjoying this."

"Glad to hear it." He said, leaning back into the mattress, sweat covering his body as well.

"So, what do you want to do once we're finished with this place?" She asked, the question seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Any specific places you want to see again?"

"Personally, I can't think of a single one. The world is a pretty small place once you get out into it. And every place is generally the same, with the same amount of people in it, the same kind of attitudes…but the blood is generally different."

"How different?"

"All depends on what they eat in a certain region. Most of middle Europe tastes a little bit worse than anything in this town, but the farther East you go, the worse it gets. Never was able to quite find the explanation for that. Again, probably diet."

"You're making me hungry now." Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Buffy grabbed one of the various articles of clothing that had been strewn across the entire room with no particular pattern or order. Feeling her sire watching her, the vampire again flashed him the grin she had become an adept at using.

"I'll be back in a while."

"Going to gloat over how you snapped the boy's neck?"

"Where else would I go? Do you want anything? Something young, old?" Sliding into a shirt, Buffy looked up for a moment to see her sire getting dressed himself.

"I'll get it myself." He said, keeping his back to her as he dressed.

"Fine. Don't kill any of my friends until I get back."

* * *

The night around her was quiet, with the lights lining the street being her only company. Her hands pushed safely down into her pockets, Willow could feel her heart continuing to break inside of her chest, the pain of losing Oz almost more than she could bear. Never before had she felt something even close to the hurt and pain that now coursed through her system. The girl, Tara, had told her what she had seen and heard at that moment, despite her attempts to talk Willow out of wanting to hear about them. The Witch had sat and listened to every word, taking in everything and forming mental pictures, images that would haunt her dreams for years to come.

The girl had cried as she had talked to her, the way that she stuttered only making Willow feel even more sympathy for her. She had never done anything wrong to anyone in this world, and Fate had decided to change that, to make her see things that had almost destroyed her. Giles had given the girl refugee for the night, wanting to make sure that she was 'alright' before he sent her on her way.

She knew the anger she felt towards the girl for living was unwarranted, considering that Oz had died saving her. He had died doing something that any of them would have wanted to do. It hurt to know that she would never see him look at her again, never feel his lips on hers, or never hear his voice talking to her. It hurt in every way that pain could be felt, but she kept walking, wanting to get back to her house and sleep, just to escape from the nightmare that the world around her had become.

Her best friend was dead, both literally and figuratively. Her image of the Buffy she had once known, the caring, loving person that she had befriended would forever be changed, tainted by the demon that only hours before had killed Oz. In a way, she had become a virtual parallel of Angel, the vampire's relationship with any of them almost broken beyond repair, and it would remain that way for both of them. Once the curse was properly translated, things would return to something that was reminiscent of a normal lifestyle, but the risks had changed, and the entire world had changed with them.

"Hello, Willow." Looking up, the Witch found the vampire that wore Buffy's skin standing in front of her, the vampire's form standing out against the darkness as she leaned against a nearby street light.

"What do you want?" Willow answered, her voice sounding almost completely different than that of her usual self.

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" The vampire replied, beginning to walk towards the young teenager, her steps slow and precise. "After everything I've done for you?"

"You're not Buffy, not who she was. Don't think to call me an old friend."

"Is that why you still call me by _that_ name? It's _my _name, at least until I claim a new one."

"I'm warning you, stay away from me." Trying to walk around the vampire, Willow found her path blocked as the demon stepped in front of her.

"Or what? You'll point your finger at me and say a spell? Pull out that cross you carry with you and try to burn me?" Buffy mocked, a smile coming to her face as she spoke. "Oh, I'm _scared_, Wills, I _really_ am."

"Stop calling me that, you don't know me."

"Actually I _do_, let's see, you're Willow Rosenberg, red hair, has an interest in Magick, has…_had_ a werewolf boyfriend, and was friends with the Slayer. Did I get you about right?"

"I want you to know something." The red-head answered, stepping closer to the demon despite the threat that still lingered. "I am going to make you rot in hell. And you will regret every live you've taken."

"Hollow threats and a back-bone? This is a new part of you I haven't seen."

"I will see you trapped if it's the last thing I do."

"I could easily kill you, Willow, but I don't. You know why? Because I_ like_ hurting you. I_ like_ seeing all the pain your little heart can take. I'm just waiting for it to burst. Because trust me, I will see to it that it does. I like seeing your heart_ break_ with each and every thing that I do, all the emotions that you don't think you can stand any more. More importantly, I like seeing you _try_ to help someone that's dead. Your friend is dead, and she's not ever going to come back."

"Get away from me."

"You can't see me, but I'm always here, Willow." Buffy said, backing up slowly, her gaze never once leaving the girl. "Watching you, mocking you, everything you've ever feared, I am." As she continued down the street, finally releasing Willow from her gaze, the smile still lay plastered over the vampire's face. Beginning to make her way back to the mansion, she started to hum a nameless tune to herself, making sure that Willow could hear the song as she continued to walk.

Watching her leave, Willow could feel the storm of emotions inside her continue to rage, with every possible feeling being sent out through her body. It took every shred of sense she had not to run after the vampire and attack her, wanting to make her feel exactly what Oz had felt in his final moments. Turning, she made her way up the path to her house, and opened the door.

* * *

"Giles, you here?" Willow shouted out, setting her bag down on the floor beside her as she closed the door. Her voice echoed back to her slightly, and as she took a few steps into the main room, the silence that had infected every room began to get to her. As she reached the living room, she found herself letting out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. On the couch at her side, Tara was fast asleep, a pile of Giles' various demon books within her reach. The Watcher himself was asleep in the nearby chair, his glasses still on his face and a book on his lap.

Noticing a piece of yellow paper lying atop a stack of books on the table, the Witch grabbed it, her eyes scanning the written words that were scattered across the paper. The handwriting itself could have only been Tara's, considering that Willow had seen enough of Giles' penmanship to know the difference.

_Not dead nor...of the living… _Realizing what she held in her hands, she felt her heart stop for a moment. Letting her hand fall to her side, the paper still held in her grasp, Willow looked down at the titles of the books that surrounded the girl and the Watcher. Almost all of them featured ancient symbols, and titles that were spelled out in ancient, dead languages.

"W-We tried to t-translate s-s-some of the s-spell." Looking up from the stack of books, the Witch found Tara sitting up on the couch only a few feet away, a blanket still wrapped around her body.

"How?"

"I h-h-have s-s-some experience with l-languages." She answered, actually meeting Willow's eyes for the first time that either of them could remember. "I a-a-asked Mr. G-Giles about w-w-what he was w-working on. He told m-me and I-I wanted to h-help."

"How much of it did you two translate?"

"Half. The last f-few l-lines are taking a l-l-little more t-time."

"Willow?" Looking up, Willow found Giles struggling to his feet, his body still in a half-asleep state.

"Yeah, I'm here, Giles." She said, turning her attention to the Watcher. "You got more of the spell translated?"

"Indeed. It would appear that Tara has quite the experience with dead languages. A rather strange twist of fate, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, sure. How close are you to getting the rest of the spell translated?"

"I'm unsure. These things take time, which I fear may be running out for us. Have you heard from Xander or Cordelia?"

"I talked to Xander on the phone last night, so I assume Cordy's in the loop as well. I…ran into Buffy last night." As the words left her lips, Willow watched as Giles' entire stance changed in a heartbeat, fear and concern filling his tired eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, taking a step towards her in the process.

"Yeah, I'm fine, although I think she's not going to stop at just…Oz." As the name left her lips, the Witch felt pain erupt in her chest, although no tears came to her eyes. She had cried enough last night to almost completely drain her body of any fluids.

"Yes, quite. I've already informed Faith to increase her patrolling, and I've been working on the translation as much as I possibly can. We're close to having a completed version."

"Giles, what happens when a soul takes over a demon? Is it locked inside the body while the soul keeps it under control?"

"Figuratively speaking, yes. They co-exist with one another, although they are constantly at battle, struggling to gain complete control over the body. So long as they both inhabit the same body, that battle will never be completely won for either side."

"Unless the soul experiences a moment of perfect happiness?"

"In Angel's case, yes. If we go through with the curse, you must realize that Buffy will never fully be the same person she once was. She will be consumed by guilt and grief, emotions that have destroyed mortal beings."

"Does the demon itself suffer when the soul is in control of the body?"

"Yes."

"Then we're going through with the curse."


	11. Going For Blood

**Well, this fic has officially reached almost 5,000 views. I'm so happy! :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"_Lasa arbita sa fie vasul care- I va transporta, sufletul la el." _The people around her constantly moving, Willow could almost feel the tug of the ancient magicks as she read the words in her mind, searching for any hidden meanings in the list of symbols that Tara had drawn up for her. The complete translation of the Curse was almost within their grasp, with only three lines that had yet to be translated remaining. The thought of Oz forced the red-head to keep going, each waking moment of her time devoted to staring at the ancient words.

"Willow?" The voice saying her name entered her head and twirled around her brain as she lifted her eyes off of the paper.

"_Wha_?" She said, having lost complete track of where the time and where she was. As she looked up, she found Cordelia standing in front of her, a look that defied description on her face. "Oh, sorry, Cordelia. I'm kinda busy with the Curse."

"I…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about Oz. Granted, he never talked much, and his clothes never matched, but...he was nice."

"Thanks."

"So, you're still going through with curse?"

"I'm not going to let Buffy's soul stay trapped in that body. That demon deserves the same mercy that she gave Oz and Mrs. Summers."

"Um…Wills, she didn't give them any mercy."

"Cordy…that's my point…"

"Oh, I knew that."

* * *

"Hello, Faith." Turning her head, the vampire Slayer could already sense Buffy standing behind her, the turned Slayer's smile standing out despite the darkness that surrounded her.

"Hey, B. No whipped sire with you tonight?" She answered, giving the vampire a sarcastic smile in the process. "You leave him tied to the bed or something?"

"You seem a little too young to know about those kind of things, even with the entire situation with your mother." Feeling the anger starting to bubble up inside her, Faith fought to control herself, realizing that charging head-first into another fight with the vampire would be her undoing.

"You here to do something or just bad mouth me? Because, frankly, I've got better things to do."

"Really? Like what? Drinking yourself to sleep so you can make those memories go away for only a few more hours?" Reaching for the stake she had shoved into the loop of her belt, the Slayer curled her fingers around the wooden object, her grip on the stake almost enough to snap it.

"Alright, B, you want a fight, let's start with one." She answered, matching the vampire's movements as the two of them began to move around each other in a circle, their eyes never once leaving each other.

"You know, we're creatures of the same breed, Faith. The same blood that runs through your veins runs through mine. True, Angelus' blood is in there as well, but you get the idea." Watching her opponent, Buffy's face remained in its human guise, the vampire still waiting for the Slayer to throw the first punch.

"Last I checked my heart was beating."

"Don't ignore what I said. You want the same kind of power that I have in my blood now. I'm immortal, I'm stronger than I was when I was a human, and everyone I once knew fears me. You're _jealous_ of everything that I now have."

"Is this going somewhere? Or are you just trying to goat me into letting you suck off of my neck?"

"Think of all the power you could wield over everything. Do you realize how much of the demon world still fears the name Angelus? Anyone connected to him shares the same fear and respect. Drusilla has it, Spike has it, and now I have it. Don't you want that? To have respect beyond what the name 'Slayer' has?" Listening to the dead girl's words, Faith was silent, keeping her senses on edge as she waited for Buffy to stop talking and attack her.

"I could give you that power. We could be the same, share even more of the same blood."

"No thanks, I'm liking my blood right where it is." Frowning as she heard the Slayer's answer, Buffy curled her fists and moved her body into a fighting stance.

"Then I guess I'll just have to enjoy killing you." In the blink of an eye, she had closed the distance between them, and was beginning to throw punches at the younger Slayer. Dodging them with slight ease, Faith ducked as the vampire tried to land a kick on her chest. Throwing a punch of her own, the Slayer smiled as she heard and felt her fist land just below Buffy's chin. As she stumbled back, the vampire found herself staring up at Faith as she felt her legs being kicked out from under her.

"Well, nice to see you on the ground for once." She said, backing away in order to avoid the kick that the vampire had used in an attempt to put the Slayer into the same position. Already back onto her feet, Buffy began to attack furiously, her assault never once letting up in its intensity. Being pushed back with each punch and kick she avoided, Faith waited until an opening presented itself. Positioning herself for the attack, she was only seconds away from initiating the attack when she felt the unbelievable pain of her arm being twisted behind her back.

"Have to be a little quicker on the draw there, Faithy. Saw you eying that opening a mile away." Kicking the girl's back, the action sending the Slayer flying towards the ground, Buffy smiled at her, her face switching out of its vamp form for a moment as she watched the girl get back onto her feet. Neither of them had any blood on their bodies, but the vampire was hoping that the situation would change soon enough.

"Come on, I'm not going anywhere." She taunted, the smile on her face only growing as she watched the Slayer start towards her again, her fists curled and a fire lighting her eyes. Letting the girl land a few hits on her arm, Buffy gathered all of her strength and backhanded the girl, again smiling as the Slayer was sent back a few steps, a small stream of blood beginning to flow down her lip towards her chin.

"Bad idea, making me bleed."

"Seemed like a good one to me."

* * *

"W-Willow?" Tara said, her stuttering breaking through the air. Her pencil still held in her hand, Willow looked up from the book she had been breezing over, scribbling down various symbols that had looked like they could be used in the translation.

"Yeah?"

"I…I t-t-think I've f-finished I-It." Holding out her hand, the girl handed the paper to the Witch, silence beginning to spread throughout the room. Grabbing the paper somewhat frantically, the red-head scanned through the writing at a furious pace.

"Do y-y-you think it's r-right?"

"There's really only one way to know for sure. Giles has got all of the supplies needed to perform the ritual, but we'll need an Orb of Thesulah. We had one before, but it was destroyed before the curse was completed."

"I t-t-think I m-might h-have one." The shock of hearing the girl say that she might have a gypsy tool momentarily overwhelmed Willow's face before she quickly shoved the emotion away. The urge to ask Tara the question of 'why' started to raise in her throat, but it stayed there, daring to go no further than it already had.

"Where is it?" She asked, trying to push any tone away from her voice.

"Back at m-my a-a-apartment." Pushing herself away from the table, Tara got back onto her feet and began to head for the door. "I'll go g-g-get it."

"I'll come with you." Leaving the paper on the table, Willow followed the girl out the door and into the night.

* * *

Her back connecting with the stone marble of the mausoleum, Buffy ducked as Faith swung the branch towards her head. Slipping past the Slayer's defense, the vampire grabbed the girl's collar and pulled, watching as the Slayer was sent flying back towards another row of tombstones.

"You know, Faith, I feel bad for you." She taunted, looking down at the girl with her yellow eyes that glowed despite the darkness that had taken its hold upon the Earth. Shaking her head back and forth, the vampire watched as the girl began to get back onto her feet. "You're just never going to be loved."

"Your words are starting to bore me, B." The Slayer answered, clenching her fists as her body once more dropped into a fighting stance.

"Oh, come on now, you're enjoying this. All this constant fighting, the rush of adrenaline through your veins, you feel _alive_." Propelling herself over the tombstones, Buffy smiled as her foot landed squarely on the Slayer's chest. As she held onto her ground with immense struggle, Faith lashed out with the back of her hand, the blow sending the vampire reeling to the side. Having received only a few moments of time, she momentarily stopped to catch her breath.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" She asked, spitting out a small amount of blood as she spoke. "I can handle more than you're giving out."

"Good to hear." Her yellow eyes meeting Faith's brown ones, the vampire smiled as she watched the Slayer's blood land on the grass. "You know, the blood of a Slayer is the richest blood in all the world. As unique as the Slayer herself."

"Nice to know that I'm like a giant cocktail to all you vamps."

"You know, I've never tasted it myself. I wonder how Angelus felt when my blood was flowing down his throat."

"This conversation about how you turned into the Vampire Layer going anywhere? Cause if not, I'd like to get back to kicking your ass."

"Suite yourself." Swinging her foot around in a roundhouse kick, Buffy watched as the Slayer was once again thrown across a short distance before gravity brought her back down to the ground. Taking only a few steps towards the girl, the vampire barely managed to dodge a piece of broken tombstone as it came flying towards her.

* * *

"Long time no see, Rupert." Looking up from his journal, Giles felt his blood run cold in every vein in his body. The voice was unmistakable as it rang out in his ears, the same voice that had haunted his dreams for months now.

"How did you get in here?"

"Same way I did the night that I met Jenny. The inscription above the door. _Enter, all ye who seek knowledge_." The wooden cross already in his hand, the Watcher was on his feet in the blink of an eye.

"Really, there's no need to get up. I'm just an old friend come to say hello." Noticing the cross the man held in his hands, Angelus smiled. "Really, is that any way to greet someone? To hold up a thing that can actually hurt me?"

"Stay back!"

"Or what, you'll turn your little Slayer on me? Sorry, Buff's already taking care of her right now. Won't be long till she's as dead as Jenny is."

"_Faith_." Giles whispered underneath his breath, concern and fear shooting through his body.

"Relax, I'm sure that she'll make the Slayer's death as painful as possible. As for you, I'm not going to kill you. Reuniting you with your precious Jenny would be something that I just couldn't do. I mean, leaving behind the poor children?" Still holding the cross in his hands, the Watcher made a quick rush for the door, pushing his body for all the strength that he could muster. Letting the man past him, Angelus still had that trademark grin on his face as he watched the man continue his rush for the doors to the library, already fumbling inside his pocket for the keys to his car.

"Come on now, Rupert. We've barely even had the chance to talk." The vampire called after the man as he started to follow, his face swiftly changing into its true form. Ignoring him, the Watcher continued to run down the otherwise deserted hallway, his footsteps echoing behind him. For a moment, his panicked mind thought of what Jenny had felt like that final night on Earth, running down these same hallways that night when Angelus had come after her. His intent tonight might have been different, but the vampire's history showed that he lived to cause pain, and that was his true purpose of being here tonight.

His breaths were coming out faster and faster now, as he turned the corner separating the hallway from the stairwell. Rushing up the stairs, he could hear the vampire's slow but meaningful steps following him. Going over the blue-prints of the school inside his mind, he pressed his body to move faster as he headed towards the other stairwell, his keys now held in the same hand as the wooden cross.

Passing the countless rows of lockers, the Watcher felt his heart wanting to explode inside his chest as the distance between himself and the door began to narrow. When his sweating palms finally rested on the door handle, he threw the door open with enough strength that he swore he could hear the glass crack slightly. The sound of his footsteps following him all the way down the stairwell, he again threw open the door and ran with all of his strength towards the main doors to the school, the parking lot lying just within his reach.

His hand touching the handle to the doors, he didn't see the vampire slamming into his body until it was too late. His body crashing down onto the floor, his glasses flying across the room, Giles looked up and found a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him.

"Now, I believe we have a few things to catch up on, don't you think?"

* * *

Ducking underneath the tombstone that flew over her head, Buffy ran towards Faith, twirling her body around in order to land a kick on the Slayer's arm. The attack causing her to momentarily lose her footing, the Slayer was back on her feet in a moment, her body again falling into the oh-so-familiar fighting stance that she seemed to favor.

"So, enjoying yourself?" The vampire asked, letting a smile grace her features for a moment more before she dropped into her own fighting stance.

"Five by five, B. How about yourself?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Wondering how much more it will take to make you bleed some more." Not waiting for the girl to answer, Buffy launched herself at the Slayer again. As she heard a small cry of pain, she smiled, the sound driving her to inflict more of the emotion on her replacement. Making her way over to the girl, she swung, putting almost every inch of her strength into the blow. The fist connecting with her face, Faith felt the world slip out from under her. As the cold Earth connected with her back, she struggled to push herself back up, almost every part of her body crying out in pain in the process.

"What's the matter, Faith? Did the big bad vampire hurt you?" Buffy taunted, continuing to mock her as she had throughout the entire past hour. "Want me to kiss all of your wounds to make them feel better?"

"Keep talking." Leaning on a nearby tombstone, Faith swallowed down every little bit of pain that she felt inside. "You're only pissing me off a little more every time you open your mouth."

"Such strong words coming from the child." Coming up behind the girl, Buffy quickly grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and held her against nothing but air. "What, are you going to throw a temper-tantrum because you're not winning?" Before she could hear Faith's response, the vampire threw her towards the nearby mausoleum, the gate breaking off of its hinges as Faith's form smashed into it. The room spinning around her, she looked up into the destroyed doorway, the dim light from the moon outside being all that surrounded her. Rolling over onto her side, she could feel her entire left side erupt into pain as if someone had lit a fire inside of her. Spitting hard on the ground next to her, she could taste more blood spilling into her mouth.

"Lying down on the job?" Her eyes still closed, Faith could hear Buffy's voice ringing in her ears as the vampire's footsteps continued to come closer towards her. Part of her wanted to make all of this stop, to just let the vampire kill her just so the pain she felt would finally cease. Rolling the Slayer over onto her back, Buffy sat down on her chest, enjoying the small gasp of pain as she felt Faith's injured body erupt into pain.

"Why don't you just give up? I can see that you're not enjoying any of this pain. I could end it quickly, make all of this go away. _Just. Like. That_." She asked her, the words leaving her lips only inches away from the girl's face. The words flowing through her mind like a disease, the Slayer knew that part of herself wanted to give in, to let the former Slayer snap her neck, draining the life from her body. That single part of her wasn't afraid of death, but craved it, hungered for it, wanted it more than anything in the world. That single part of her that was still just an abused sixteen-year old girl wanted to die.

But the part of her that was the Slayer, that single thing that had been destined for her since she had been born wanted to _live._

"Tempting offer, but I'll pass." Watching as Buffy's smile faded away from her face, Faith spat the last remaining amount of blood that had sank into her mouth into the vampire's face. Looking down at her, the vampire felt rage beginning to boil up inside her, the emotion flowing through every one of her undead veins. Wiping the blood and spit off onto her sleeve, Buffy tightened her grip on Faith's neck, enjoying how the girl continued to struggle underneath her grip. Her lungs begging for air, the Slayer fought to kick the vampire off of her, black dots beginning to cover her vision.

"What, getting hard to breathe? Sorry to hear that." The vampire taunted, a small chuckle beginning to run through her voice. Sensing that Faith was only moments away from passing out, the vampire released her grip on the girl's neck, watching with fake amazement as the girl began to breathe in large gulps, her chest falling up and down at a rapid pace.

"All better?" She asked, her yellow eyes staring down at the Slayer as Faith's breathing started to return to its normal pace, despite the sound of it sounding somewhat labored due to the amount of pain she was in. Her eyes closed, Buffy smiled as she sensed the fear running through the girl's veins, managing to creep past her hard-outer shell. Returning back to her full height, the vampire resumed her grip on Faith's jacket, pulling the Slayer up, she pressed her against the wall. Holding her against the marble stone with her forearm, the vampire let her face switch back to its human form, and she stared into the girl's eyes as she opened them.

"I'm not done with you, so get back on your feet, and raise your fists." Removing her arm from the girl's chest, Buffy took a few steps back, allowing Faith a few minutes to regain her footing. Looking at the vampire through her tired and hurt brown eyes, the Slayer raised her fists.

* * *

"Giles?" Willow shouted, her voice echoing back to her as she and Tara entered the library. Stopping at the door to the Watcher's office, the redhead looked into it, expecting to see the older man slouched over an ancient book with his eyes closed. Instead, she found the office to be as empty as the rest of the library was, the books refusing to answer any of her calls.

"D-do you t-think t-t-that he went h-home?"

"Maybe, but why would he leave the lights on?" Exiting the library, the two girls closed the doors behind them and started down the hallway, their footsteps following them the entire way. Turning the corner that led to the main hall and the front doors, their eyes found pools of dark liquid lining the walls and the floors, the color visible despite the dark lighting that covered every inch of the building. Her heart beginning to race, Willow looked at the various pools before her eyes settled on that of a figure lying in the center of the liquid, his body covered with the dark color. Recognizing the man's manner of dress, both girls felt their hearts stopped for a moment as they realized that it was blood that surrounded the entire hall, and lying in the center of all of it was Giles.

"Giles!" Willow cried out, rushing to the man's side and trying to feel a pulse. Looking on with shock flowing through her system, Tara took a few steps back, setting her bag down on the floor in the process.

"Tara, call an ambulance!" The redhead shouted at her, her tone filled with panic. Offering no reply, the blonde ran back towards the library, throwing open the doors and rushing into Giles' office to find a telephone.

Holding onto the man's hand, Willow could feel his heart still beating inside his chest, although its beats were slow and forced. Hearing the front doors open, the girl looked up in time to see Angelus flashing her a grin that made her heart drop into her chest with fear.

"Hope you enjoy my work." He said before slipping out the door, his form disappearing effectively into the night.


	12. All Night Thing

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* * *

**Chapter 12**

As she leaned back against the chair, Willow could feel the heart inside her chest still racing as the images of Giles lying broken and bleeding on the floor continued to circle through her mind. She and Tara had been here for almost an hour now, waiting for any news from the doctors on whether or not the Watcher would live to see another sun rise. With each passing glimpse of someone in medical scrubs walking by, hopes were built, destroyed, and rebuilt in rapid succession inside the teenage girls' minds.

"Willow!" Looking up from the folded hands in her lap, Willow saw Cordelia enter through the hospital doors, her expensive clothes standing out against the normal hospital garb of both the doctors and the nurses. Getting on her feet, the red-head was silent as Cordy approached both herself and Tara.

"Where's Xander?" Willow asked, keeping her hands folded as she awaited the girl's response.

"He went to find Faith as soon as you called. Really, I can't understand how anyone could work in a place like this. These colors are so…_boring_." Hearing the girl's response, Willow's eyes lit up with fear as the images of Xander being the next friend destroyed by Buffy or Angelus overwhelmed everything else in her mind.

"You mean h-he's o-o-out there? B-b-by h-himself?"

"As far as I know. I certainly wasn't going to be any help, plus he ran out before I could even really realize where he was going."

"Ms. Rosenberg?" Turning her head, Willow found one of the doctors approaching her, the doctor's form still clothed in clothes that looked eerily reminiscent of something from horror movie involving a surgery gone wrong.

"Yes, that's me."

"I understand you're the one who found Mr. Giles, am I right?"

"Yes, is…is he going to be alright?"

"He's stable, but there's some internal bleeding within his system. We're not sure how that will continue to affect his condition as of yet."

"But he's going to live, right? I mean, you're doctors, you save people all the time."

"As I said, we're not sure. It's all up to him now, but we're doing the best we can." Resting his hand for a moment on the red-head's shoulder, the doctor offered her a small smile. "You can go see him now if you want. I wouldn't take too long though, he needs to get some rest. His injuries were, indeed, severe." As he turned away from the small group of girls, the doctor was almost instantly swarmed by a nurse, their conversation fading as they walked away.

"Well, that's it, he's going to be alright, I mean, he's Giles, he pulls through."

"Willow." Tara started before the red-head interrupted her by continuing with her line of thought.

"I mean, plenty of people must have survived meeting Angelus, granted, there's a lot of people who died, hundreds, thousands, but not _Giles._ He can't die, he _won't_ die." As she finished her sentence, the girl's words began to fade out as the reality of the situation finally hit her mind in full force, wiping away any illusions she may have held. Tears starting to well up around her eye-lids, she wiped them off on the back of her sleeve.

"Willow, he'll survive. I mean, come on, he's probably been hit with harder things before. After all, Buffy's punched him before."

"M-maybe you s-should go in f-f-first."

"Alright." Willow had meant the response to sound like her normal, perky tone of voice, but the sound that came out of her mouth was something more akin to a family member waiting for their loved one to die.

* * *

Everything in her body hurt, ever muscle screamed out in pain, ever limb felt numb and useless. As the vampire's fist once again connected with her chest, Faith felt the force of another tombstone shattering underneath her weight. Closing her eyes as she hit the ground, she felt a few pieces of the stone raining down on her, even individual piece that hit her body feeling like a needle stabbing her flesh.

"Had enough?" Buffy asked, her foot pressing down on the Slayer's stomach as she appeared above her. "Closing your eyes won't make me go away. I'm not one of the monsters you're mother told you never existed. I'm _worse._"

Reaching down, she pulled the injured Slayer into a sitting position, her face morphed back into its human form. Feeling the girl trying to squirm away, she smiled. Strengthening her grip on Faith, the vampire tiltled her head in order to better look at the endless amounts of bruises and cuts covering any exposed skin on the Slayer's body.

"Poor baby, did someone beat you up on the playground?" Hearing no response to the taunt, the vampire roughly shook the Slayer's shoulders, finally causing Faith's eyes to open, the brown color lining them covered with pain and exhaustion. "Come on, Faith, stay awake. I know its past your bed-time, but I'm letting you stay up late."

"Stop talking…like my…mother."

"Why? Am I treating you better than she did?" Moving a few locks of the brunette's hair away from her neck, Buffy again smiled as she saw a small amount of dried blood covering the girl's neck.

"Just…kill me…"

"I really don't have any problem with that." Her face morphing into its true form, Buffy looked into the Slayer's eye for only a moment before she plunged her fangs into the girl's neck. Feeling an unbelievable amount of pain for a split second, Faith felt like screaming before warmth spread throughout her body as her blood began to flow out of her body. The rich blood of a Slayer flooding down her neck, Buffy felt every muscle in her body instantly erupt into a mass of feelings, the entire sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced.

"Buffy." Withdrawing her fangs from the Slayer's throat, Buffy's yellow eyes only managed to catch a small glimpse of the baseball bat before the brute force of it slammed into her chest, propelling her a short distance into the air and away from her prey. Her body skidding along the grass, she let the rage inside of her drive her back onto her feet, the hit from the bat having only hurt in the slightest sense.

"Xander." She answered, recognizing the teenager's form and voice instantly as her mind began to work forward again. Holding the bat securely in his hands, Xander came to stand in front of where Faith's body was positioned, as if he could somehow defend her against one of Angelus' childe, and a former Slayer to boot.

"Buff, stay back. Trust me, I'm not afraid to hurt you."

"Is that so?" She replied, already back on her feet and smiling at the boy in her human form. "Can you _really_ do it? Hurt someone you love, someone you _crave_ to touch?"

"Buffy, if you're in there, you gotta fight this demon, she's destroying everything around you. We know you have to be in there somewhe-"

"She can't hear you, I'm afraid, considering that she's on some higher-plane. I'm the only thing that's in this body, so you're having a conversation with someone new, but at the same time, the same person you've known for the past two years."

"Stop walking. I'll swing again."

"Then do it, you saw how easily I got back up from the last one, besides, didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit a girl?"

"She never said anything about hitting dead people, so I guess I'm safe."

"_Safe_? Do you honestly think you're ever safe while I'm still around? I'm the thing that your nightmares are made of, I'm the thing that killed Oz, killed my mom, and if you'll step aside, I'll add Faith to that list."

"I said stop walking!" Swinging wildly with the bat, Xander watched helplessly as the vampire dodged every swing before grabbing his wrist and forcefully removing the weapon from his hands. Her free hand shooting up and grabbing his neck, she threw him to the ground, much in the same manner as she had been thrown only a few minutes earlier. Staring down at him with her eyes, Buffy smiled the same grin that she had given Faith every minute for the past hour.

"This is the closest you've ever gotten to me, willingly, isn't it?" She asked, loosening her grip in order to let the teenager breathe. "How does it feel? Does it make your heart skip, make your blood turn cold? Hot?"

"Get off of me."

"I don't believe that you're in any position to make demands here." Leaning down, she folded her arms over the teenager's chest, resting her head atop her folded arms. "I'm pretty sure I'm in control here. Don't worry, I won't do anything. I'm too much for you to handle anyway."

"_Xander...run_." Rolling her eyes, Buffy tilted her head towards the injured Slayer lying only a few feet away.

"Honey, the adults are talking right now. Why don't you go back to sleep?" Feeling Xander trying to slip out from under her, Buffy pressed down on his chest with her arms, trapping him in place effectively. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Buffy, get off of me."

"But I'm so comfortable where I am."

"You seem to be the only one."

"Don't lie to me. You've dreamed of this moment, me, you, together, touching each other."

"Yeah, but you're not the same person that I dreamed of having this with, this is more like a nightmare of freakish..." Pressing a finger to Xander's lips, the vampire made a _sssshhing_ noise with her lips, the sound of sending shivers down his spine.

"Enough talking, wait right here, let me put Faith to bed, and then we can continue this discussion. Poor girl can't stay up late at all."

* * *

"Giles?" Willow asked, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks as she looked down at the broken Watcher. The entire scene seemed strangely foreign to the Witch, seeing a man whom she had seen live, breathe, fight, just like all of them, lying on a bed, hooked up to numerous machines that continued to spit out his condition. The beeps continued to overwhelm any other sound within the room, those beeps being all that answered her as the man continued to sleep, his mind effectively cut off from the living world around him.

"Giles, I…I'm sorry all of this happened. I don't know what I could have done, but it had to be…it had to be something." She continued, sitting down in a nearby chair. Inside her chest, her heart felt like breaking. "We…we finished translating the curse. We're going to try again, I don't know what's going to happen, but we…we have to try. We hope it'll work. That's really the only thing keeping us going right now. _Hope_." Again, there was no response but the beeping of the machines.

"I was hoping that you would help us, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. I think now I realize how much we have to lose if we don't save Buffy's soul. You tried to make me realize it once, and I couldn't understand what you were trying to say, but I understand now. If Angelus was the Scourge of Europe all by himself, then there's no telling what he and Buffy could accomplish together."

"If we don't restore Buffy's soul, then we're going to die along with it."

* * *

"Ok, Faith, it's time for all the good little Slayers to go to sleep. Say good-night to Xander." Crouching down beside Faith, Buffy leaned down, her senses already anticipating the taste of the Slayer's blood. Her fangs only mere inches from the breaks she had made earlier in the girl's skin, the vampire again felt the blunt force of the Louisville Slugger making contact with her side.

"Come on, Faith, stay with me here." Xander said, wrapping the girl's arm around his neck in the quickest manner he could muster as he kept the bat gripped in his hand. Beside him, the Slayer mumbled something that the teenager couldn't understand. Fighting back the urge to make a smartalec response, the teenager pushed on, remembering where the entrance to the cemetery was, and urging his body on towards it.

"Alright, Xander, I tried to do this nicely, but you've forced me to be mean." Turning around, Xander found both himself and Faith being thrown to the ground, with Buffy tearing the Slayer from the teenager's grasp. Struggling back to his feet, the teenager had barely taken two steps before he felt Buffy's foot slam into his chest, forcing him back down to the Earth below him. In the moonlight, he caught sight of a silver blade before the sound of something wet filled his hearing. Accompanying it, Faith's screams sent shivers down the teenager's spine.

"Good night, Faith." Buffy said, turning to face Xander as he got back onto his feet. Looking at him in her vamp form, blood covered her face. "Night, Xander. _Have fun_." Grabbing the collar of his shirt, the vampire gave him a small peck on the cheek before turning and walking off into the distance, her form eventually becoming part of the shadows themselves. Rushing over to Faith's side, Xander could see the hilt of the knife itself sticking out of the Slayer's stomach. The girl was still screaming, the pain of the knife wound even worse than the beating that Buffy had given her. As he reached her side, he carefully picked her up, flinching when she screamed again. Turning around, he again headed for the entrance to the cemetery, praying that he could remember the path to hospital.

* * *

"Xander!" Cordelia exclaimed as she caught sight of her boyfriend walking through the hospital doors, an injured and bleeding Faith held in his arms. As they saw the amount of blood covering both of the teenagers' clothing, the medical personnel surrounding them flocked to help the bleeding girl. Setting the girl down on a nearby gurney, Xander moved past the scene and nearly collapsed into the group awaiting him.

"Xander, what happened?" Willow asked, her eyes filled with shock from having seen the Slayer bleeding with a knife still jammed into her stomach.

"Buffy thought it'd be fun to use our Slayer as a punching bag." He answered, every muscle in his body feeling utterly exhausted. "Although I don't know anyone who jams a knife into their punching bags."

"S-she d-d-did w-what?" Tara questioned, standing only a few feet away from Willow.

"She promptly kicked Faith's ass, and then jammed a knife into her stomach. "

"She's gonna be ok, right?" Cordy inquired, her eyes betraying the emotion behind her solid exterior image. Beside her, Willow made no attempt to hide the emotions that were brewing inside her. Every single one of the Scoobies had been through a lot recently, but no-one had taken so much of that pain in as the young red-head had.

"I don't know, she lost a lot of blood on the way over here. I got her here as fast as I could, but I don't think I was fast enough." Setting himself down into a nearby chair, Xander looked down at the still semi-wet blood that lay on his hands. _Faith's_ blood. Making an attempt to scrub some of the liquid off onto his dirty jeans, the teenager sighed in dismay as he watched the liquid remain almost glued to his fingers.

* * *

Closing her eyes for a moment, Willow could smell the incense burning close beside her. She could sense the presence of everyone in the room around her as she sat in the circle, the tug of the ancient magicks swirling inside her. As she stared down at the book in front of her, Tara was silent, her mind focused on an unknown thought. Opening her eyes, the red-head offered her a smile, causing the blonde to look up at her.

"A-are y-you ready?"

"I…I don't know. Giles, he warned me once about how dangerous magick can be, and…maybe he was right."

"B-but you're really p-p-powerful, you c-can do t-the s-s-spell, you d-did it before."

"Pardon me for saying, but maybe something's trying to tell me that I shouldn't be doing this, considering that the past two times I've tried, something's gone wrong."

"Then w-we'll m-m-make sure that something d-doesn't h-h-happen." Smiling at her, Tara handed Willow the piece of paper, the words of the translated curse staring back at her. Taking the translation into her hands, the Witch returned the smile before turning to the two other people standing in the room.

"Xander, Cordy, are you ready?"

"Ready to take part in something that could potentially kill us? What's there to be ready for?" Turning her gaze down on the translated curse she held in her hands, the Witch took a deep breath before nodding at Cordelia. As the incense began to wave through the air, Willow and Tara began to read.

"_Quod perditum est, invenietur. Nici mort, nici al fiinţei, te invoc spirit al trecerii."_

"What is lost, return. Not dead nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum I call. Gods, bind him, cast his heart from the evil realm." As the words left her lips, the tug of the magicks inside her began to grow stronger, the power flowing through her veins. Tilting her head back, Willow gave into the power, allowing the magick to take control of her body's actions.

"_Te implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte. Lăsa orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul la el."_

"I call on you, Lord; do not ignore this request. Let this orb be the vessel that will carry his soul to him."

"_Este scris, aceasta putere este dreptul poporul meu de a conduce. Redă trupului ce separe omul de animal."_

"It is written, this power is my people's right to wield. Return to the body what separates man from animal."

"_Aşa să fie cu ajutorul acestui magic glob de cristal. Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie!" _As the words left their mouths, Willow and Tara spoke in complete sync, their words sounding double-tracked to both Xander and Cordelia. In front of the two witches, the Orb began to glow, its yellow color illuminating a small area around it. As the words seemingly entered it and empowered the glass, the Orb lifted itself into the air, suspending itself on its own power.

"_Acum! Acum_!" The glow around the Orb growing almost in the blink of an eye, it finally disappeared seemingly into itself, the glow disappearing with it, blowing the candles out around the room. Shaking her head slightly, Willow felt the entire world around her spinning slightly, the power that she had called upon slowly beginning to leave her body. At her side, Tara set the book down and slowly helped the red-head down off of the table.

"Did it work?" The red-head asked, closing her eyes for a moment in an attempt to rid her body of the dizziness she felt.

"It did."

"The question is, which vampire did we curse?" Xander asked, speaking the question that was present in everyone's mind. Looking back at him, Willow pushed the fear that Buffy hadn't been cursed back down into the back of her mind.

"We'll know soon enough."


	13. Crossroads

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* * *

**Chapter 13**

As the blood flowed down his throat, Angelus felt the hunger in his stomach rapidly begin to fade away as the liquid began to collect inside his stomach. Granted, he had drunk a nice little amount of the Watcher's blood, but there was something about young blood that set his insides on fire with rapid ease. Still, nothing would ever compare to the taste of his mate's blood, the rich blood that accompanied a girl of the Slayer lineage, a trait that had followed them throughout the ages. It was a thing that every vampire across the world dreamed of tasting. To some, they would have gladly thrown away their immortality for just a drop of it. In his case, Angelus needn't worry about every receiving a taste of it.

Dropping the girl's dead body to the ground beneath him, he paused for a moment before he turned and began the trek back to the mansion. There was not a single shred of doubt in his mind that Buffy would have enjoyed finally ending her replacement's life. True, he had wanted to take part in it, to watch as his childe, his _mate, _snapped the girl's neck or thrust the knife's blade into her flesh. There was something about watching her darker side that thrilled him.

His steps echoing down the alleyway, he was only seconds away from beginning to whistle a tune that he had known for centuries when a small spark of pain began to burn inside him, that spark quickly beginning to burn more and more with each passing moment. Gripping at the origin of the pain, he stopped, hissing as the fire inside of him began to engulf everything in his chest. His legs weakening underneath him, he collapsed to the ground, still hissing at the growing pain that was quickly becoming unbearable. He had experienced that pain once before, on the outskirts of a gypsy clan's caravan in Romania, only a day after their favorite daughter had been found, not a single drop of red blood left inside her body.

Accompanying the fiery pain, he felt rage, knowing exactly what was happening, that somehow that damned Witch had somehow retranslated the curse, the one thing that could stop himself and Buff from unleashing any amount of Hell upon the Earth. With each passing second, his rage grew along with the pain and the familiar feeling of remorse and grief that had already started to bleed through into his mind.

Looking at the body lying only a few feet away from him, the girl's still open eyes staring at him like glass, Angelus felt everything that made him a demon being forced back down into the bottom of his body. Letting out a primal scream, he closed his eyes as the fiery pain inside him utterly engulfed his body.

* * *

"Alright, t-t-thank you." Tara said, hanging the phone back onto the receiver. Behind her, the remaining Scoobies sat around the library table, utterly silent as they tried to focus their minds on anything else but current events. Xander was leaning back in the chair he had pushed himself into, his eyes closed as the exhaustion of carrying Faith to the emergency room finally caught up with him. Willow herself, likewise, was trying to rest herself, the spell having almost completely drained her body of strength.

"Well, t-t-the Emergency Room s-said they got her s-stabilized, but t-they can't s-s-say when she'll be a-awake."

"Great, so we're Watcher _and_ Slayer-less. Wonderful odds we're got here, don't you think?" Xander said, his eyes still closed as he spoke. "Anyone else want to go all in?"

"Stop it!" Cordy added, hitting her boyfriend in the arm. "We could all die within the next week and you're making jokes?!"

"Leave him alone, Cordy." Willow said, leaning her head forward as she opened her eyes. "He's only making a joke.

"A poor one at that."

"S-so what a-a-are we going to d-do now?"

"I guess the only thing to do is wait. There's not much else we can do." Willow answered, offering a small smile at the blonde.

* * *

As he opened his eyes, Angel's vision automatically adjusted to the darkness that surrounded him. The first thing he noticed was that the rain had stopped, for in his memory, it had been down-pouring all around him, and there had been a tremendous pain inside his chest. Pushing himself off the ground, he struggled to remember why he was out here, his last thoughts having been of Buffy, still sleeping in his bed. The happiness he had felt deep inside of his soul on that night was still present, although it felt as if that date was so long ago. Everything after that night was a complete blank, as if a curtain had been wrapped around his mind.

Taking a few cautious steps forward, he observed his surroundings, the dark alley looking back at him with an unflinching harshness. Turning around, he saw all around him the usual setting of a dark alleyway, with various puddles left from a previous rainfall scattered about on the pavement. And then his eyes fell upon the dead girl lying only a few feet away from him. The small bites and still wet blood on her neck were a dead-give away to how she had died. He felt like rushing over to her, although he knew that she was already gone, the glazed look in her unmoving eyes being a dead giveaway.

As he looked at her neck, the memories that had lain behind that curtain began to flood out, slowly at first, but rapidly changing into an overwhelming flow. He remembered every single moment of passion, lust, blood-thirst, anger, amusement, and joy as he had killed, tortured, and otherwise destroyed Buffy and her friends. The last few months all came in an instant before the final most painful memory came back to him. He saw the entire scene in his mind, of biting into Buffy's neck and drinking the rich blood that lay inside her. Of making her swallow his own blood, making her his childe and marking her as his mate.

The pain of realizing what the demon inside of him had done made every single moment of grief and regret he had suffered through for the past century seem like it had merely been a small problem, like the pain of a paper-cut. This single thing, the single action of making her a vampire, making her the same breed of creature as him was something that made him want to die, to simply be forgotten from the face of the Earth.

Stumbling back until he hit the side of a nearby building, he continued to see even more images, of how he had taught her to kill, to take life with no remorse, and to enjoy ripping the _life_ from someone. He watched in his mind as she killed Oz, lied and mentally tortured all of her friends, with Willow receiving the worst of any of it, of how she drained her mother while he had watched. And the last possible memory that flooded into him was that of torturing the girl's Watcher, a man whom he had respected only mere months ago, how he had left him broken and bleeding inside the school, and how he had taken pleasure in watching Willow Rosenberg cry and beg the Watcher not to die.

All around him, it felt like the world had just ended, and had been replaced with his own personal Hell.

Only it was worse, he had dragged Buffy into the same pit he suffered in.

* * *

"Angelus?" Buffy called out, her voice echoing back to her as she made her way deeper into the dark mansion. All around her, the rooms were silent, with only the crackling of the burning wood inside the fire place to accompany her steps. As she entered the main room, she saw just the tiniest flicker of movement in the darkness of the room, and through the bond with her sire, she know exactly who it was. Moving towards him, she smiled.

"Angelus, do we really have to play games?" She asked, stopping only a few feet away from him.

"Buffy…" He started before the rest of his words became trapped in his throat.

"That's my name." She answered, reaching out and touching his arm. Reacting in the blink of an eye, the vampire actually flinched from her cold touch, pushing himself further into the shadows. Looking back at him with a confused look adorning her face, Buffy again moved closer to him.

"_I'm so sorry, I…I never wanted any of this for you."_ She heard him whisper, his voice unlike anything she had heard from her sire before.

"What's the matter with you?"

"_God, I'm so sorry. And I can't take it back."_

"Angelus, what the hell are you talking about?" As she stood in front of him, she reached out and pulled his frame into the light, trying to see him better. Looking into the chocolate brown color of his pupils, she saw the warmth spread across them as they infected every corner of his eyes. Inside her, she recognized that warmth, having last looked upon them months ago on the night of her seventeenth birthday. When she had last looked upon _Angel,_ not _Angelus._

"_Angel?"_ She asked, disbelief flooding into her voice and her senses.

"Buffy, I…I _killed_ you, I gave you a fate _worse_ than death." Slowly backing away from him, she could almost feel the soul that now existed inside the vampire standing before her.

"No, no, no, this isn't happening." She said, shaking her head back and forth in the process. "They restored your soul?"

"Somehow they re-translated the curse."

"But…but that's _impossible_, we destroyed their copy of it, how could they have gotten another one?"

"I don't know, but please, just listen to me_, please."_

"If it's the same curse, then it still has the same rules." Ignoring what he had said, she grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the bedroom. "One moment of perfect happiness and you'll be as good as new."

"Buffy, stop." He said, managing to break out of her grip. Staring back at him with anger controlling her eyes, the female vampire let out a small growl as she spoke.

"_No_, we're not stopping, get in there!"

"Let Willow help you, just let her give you your soul back."

"Is that who cursed you? I won't let that little _bitch_ so much as _touch_ me, I don't need her help."

"Buffy, I'm begging you, just let them help you. Let _me _help you."

"_I'm_ trying to help _you_, Angelus! I know you can hear me in there, your soul hasn't taken over you completely!"

"He's trapped, Buffy, and he's not going to come back." Looking at the ensouled vampire in front of her, Buffy took a step back before she swung her hand, slapping Angel hard across the face.

"Shut up! You have no right to talk to me! You're not my sire!" She yelled, her voice coming out as a snarl. "Your girlfriend is dead." His hand flying up to his reddening cheek, the vampire looked at his angered childe, and took a cautious step towards her.

"We're the same thing, Buffy, whether you like it or not."

"No, you're not!" Grabbing a nearby glass vase, the childe turned and hurled it towards her sire. Ducking, Angel could feel the shards of the broken glass hitting his back before they fell to the ground and shattered completely. Looking up, the vampire saw Buffy still continuing to back away from him, the shock and anger in her eyes slowly beginning to show some of the fear she was feeling inside. Fear of being alone without her sire and mate.

"Buffy, I love you."

"That weak, pathetic Slayer is gone. I'm all that's left, so talk to me instead of her."

"Please, just let me help you." Reaching for the sword behind her, Buffy raised the weapon at him, gesturing towards the bedroom behind her.

"Then get in there. You're going to have a moment of perfect happiness if it kills you."

"It won't happen, you can't force that on someone. The happiness I felt on your seventeenth birthday, that was what true happiness was. You're not the same girl now."

"I'm willing to try. Now get in there!"

"No." He said, the word coming out calmly, much to her surprise.

"_What_?"

"I said no. What, you don't like hearing that word?"

"_Get out."_ She growled, throwing the sword at him with speed and accuracy. Barely able to dodge the weapon, Angel was slowly forced back as Buffy threw everything close to her at her sire, the sound of things smashing and crashing to the ground filling out the entire mansion. Opening the door, the former Scourge of Europe disappeared into the night, allowing himself one final look at his mate before she shut the doors to the mansion behind him as she watched him run.

* * *

"Giles." Turning his head, the Watcher could only see shadows around him, the otherwise empty hospital room being the man's only company. Leaning back into the pillow behind him, he again felt slightly at ease.

"Giles." This time the voice was louder, and accompanying it, he saw movement in the shadows of the far corner of the room. As a lone figure emerged from that darkness, the Watcher's eyes grew wide as he recognized the being's form, the single thing that had caused him so much pain.

"Angelus." He whispered, the tone of his voice matching the pain and exhaustion he felt inside.

"Giles, just listen to me. I don't expect you to trust me, and I don't think I deserve it." Angel answered, holding his hands up in front of him to show that he had no weapon to use against the weakened man. "I'm not going to hurt you. Believe me, I've caused enough of it for everyone." All the strength in his body gone, the Watcher only nodded, noticing the difference in the tone of the vampire's voice. It had lost any of its bloodlust and pleasure at seeing pain, those things having been replaced with sorrow and guilt.

"There aren't any words to describe how I feel, knowing that I put you here, what I did to you and Buffy. But I need to know, how did they restore my soul?"

"I haven't the faintest clue." As the words left Giles' lips, Angel's tone and stance changed entirely, the answer only adding more grief to the vampire's stance and tone.

"Was it Willow? Did she retranslate the curse?"

"It takes…tremendous power to restore a soul, but I fear you may be right… the weight of everything that has happened, it could have driven her to try anything to restore your soul."

"Where are they?" He asked, trying to strengthen his posture and not let any more emotion leak out.

"I haven't the faintest idea, you forget that I've been nowhere else but here." Slowly starting to move away, Angel kept his eyes on the broken Watcher. Reaching the open window on the far side of the window, the vampire cast the man one last look before he jumped.

* * *

Everything inside her was ablaze with pain. She tried to move, to even so much as roll her head, but her limbs refused to respond. Her eyes still shut out against the pain, she felt cold, as if she had been outside for too long without any clothes. Her entire mind seemed to be engulfed in a fog, causing any memory of where she was to be lost for the moment. Opening her eyes for a moment, the bright lights above her nearly blinded her. Closing her eyes, she felt better, taking comfort in the darkness instead of the bright light that somehow frightened her.

She could feel the lower part of her stomach feeling particularly sore, and for a moment, the memory of something sharp cutting her returned before it once again slipped back into the fog. Everything seemed to be so muddled and strange, was it always like this? No, it wasn't, she at least remembered that. Things were usually so clear and precise. It was as if the darkness that usually held its sway over half the Earth was inside her head now…_night_, yes, that was the word.

She wanted to move, catching the faintest thread of a memory that there were people counting on her…she couldn't remember any of their names or faces, but she knew that she should. Letting the memories slip from her mind, Faith let the need for rest overtake her.

* * *

"You know, why are we just sitting around here waiting for our souled vampire to just walk through the doors?" Xander asked, pushing himself onto his feet as he looked around at the remaining Scoobies that sat scattered around the room. "Don't you think we should be out there? "

"And what? Invoke the wrath of the souled one's mate?" Cordelia responded, rolling her eyes in the process. "I think I'd rather stay here and be safe."

"He d-does h-h-have a point." Tara added, causing Cordelia to glare at her.

"If it was Buffy who was cursed, can you imagine what she's feeling right now?" Willow said, pushing a few stray strands of her red-hair out of her face. Getting onto her own feet, the Witch came to stand at Xander's side. "Tara, Cordy, you can stay here. I think that if Buffy's soul was restored and she's out there, we need to find her before Angelus does."

"No need." As all heads turned towards the black clothed figure pushing the doors to the library open, Angel could already sense the fear pouring off of their bodies.

"Willow, get back." Xander said, looking around him for anything that could be used as a weapon.

"Xander, wait." Willow said, catching the look in the vampire's eyes. It wasn't the same ones that she had seen for months now, the ones filled to the brim with a passion for violence, destruction, and blood.

"Angel?"

"What did you do?" He asked, stopping a few feet from the group.

"Wait, you're telling me that Deadboy's soul was restored?" Xander exclaimed, sitting back into the chair behind him as he whispered _'damn it'_ underneath his breath.

"Angel, are...are you alright?"

"No. I'm not. How did you curse me?"

"We...we found Ms. Calendar's laptop, and she had the original curse on it. We retranslated it, and I said the words, and here you are." Willow answered, her words almost immediatly beginning to run together. She was still nervous, even with Angel's soul supposedly back in control of his body. Buffy had lied to her before, who was to say that her sire couldn't do the same?

"You should have given it to Buffy, and just let her stake me."

"Trust me, that was our plan." Xander said, letting his tone show that he didn't want the vampire to be anywhere near him. Behind him, Cordelia had a similar look on her face, while sitting across from her, Tara was silent, avoiding looking at anything or anyone.

"But…"

"Are you going to try the curse again?" Angel asked, cutting the red-headed witch off as she started to talk.

"We'd need another Orb, but…I…we don't know where to find one."

"Check the local magic shop?"

"Already did, we couldn't find one, but it was pretty smashed up." Looking at her, the vampire was silent, his thoughts remaining hidden behind the unbreakable shield that was his eyes and emotions.

"I think I know where to find one." He said, turning and starting to walk back towards the doors to the library. His hand on the wooden object, he turned and stared at Willow.

"Get everything together at Giles' home. Wait for me there." As he left, every one of the Scoobies stared at him, unsure if what had just happened had been real. Quickly, a mood of sadness and joy swept through the room, joy at the fact that Angel had returned and Angelus had once again been brought under control, and sadness at the fact that Buffy's soul was still trapped somewhere, unable to gain control of her body from the demon that now infested it.

Returning to the table, Willow didn't know what to feel inside. Should she feel joy? Shock? Sadness? Pain? Every possible emotion swam through her head, allowing no thought to linger in any one place. Glancing at her, Tara was silent, but the concern in her eyes betrayed her lack of words.

To everyone, it was clear that a crossroads had been reached. Soon, things would end. The nightmare would be over.


	14. Things To Discuss

**It would appear that things are starting to really heat up, doesn't it? I'm really amazed at how fast I'm churning this story out. I'm happy with how its turning out :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

As he looked through the scattered remnants of the Magick Shop's supplies, Angel continued to push aside ruined boxes and smashed shards of glass that covered the floor beneath him. The shop itself had been closed for at least two months now, but the owner of the building had yet to send someone to clean up what the now deceased shop keeper had left behind. He knew that there was a secret store room underneath the floorboards; he could hear his footsteps echoing beneath the dusty wooden boards as he walked, and he continued his search for it, hoping that there would be more back-stock underneath his feet.

He tried everything he could to avoid thinking of Buffy, of how he had looked into her beautiful eyes and seen no soul behind them, something that had sent shivers down his cold skin. She was his, by the ancient law of the mating mark, but she wasn't the same girl that he had loved months ago. She was cold, ruthless, and had no remorse in killing someone. There was a demon inside her that now wore her face, haunting his dreams and memories.

He knew that somehow he had to save her, even if it meant destroying her body and letting her rest in peace. But would he be able to do it? To put a stake through her heart and watch as she dissolved into nothing but dust at his feet? He had done the same thing to Darla, but that had been a different sort of love entirely, something that hadn't existed inside him for a number of years since his soul had been restored. He had killed his own sire in order to save the love of his life, but now that single action meant nothing. In the end, he had killed her, drained her, and turned her, a fate that he wished he could take back from her.

Did he really want to force a soul on her? To make her suffer through the same kind of guilt that he had been forced to relieve every single day in the dark? He knew better than anyone what it meant to feel guilty, to see bloodied faces in the mind's eye everywhere you looked. It was the perfect punishment for an _animal _such as him, to be a creature that lived and thrived on the blood inside a living being, and to care about the death and destruction that came with being said creature.

His foot connecting with the handle that led down to the storage room, the vampire forced the door to remove itself from its somewhat stuck position. As the wood slammed backwards into the floor boards, the sound momentarily echoed through the building before it faded into oblivion. Jumping down into the darkness, it took only moments before Angel's eyes adjusted to the non-existent lighting in the basement. There was more shattered glass down here, but he knew that it wasn't from any destruction that he had caused. He couldn't say the same for Spike or Drusilla, but he hadn't come here and destroyed the place.

Making his way through the boxes and opened packages, he looked through them, searching for the Orb that Willow would need. He didn't know how to feel about having the girl perform the Magicks again, but he could feel the dedication that the young Witch felt inside her heart. She wanted her friend back more than anything in this world, and she was willing to do anything to accomplish that. For that, he admired her. To find a true friend was something that was truly rare in a life, even a vampire such as himself knew that. When he had been alive, he had had his usual assortment of drinking mates, but none of them he had ever called a true friend.

Pushing one of the boxes away, he continued on his search, still hoping that he would be able to find an Orb that hadn't been smashed into a thousand pieces. The Soul wouldn't have anywhere to go without the single piece of Gypsy Craftsmanship that he had been forced into at least twice in his undead lifetime. Simply imagining what it felt like to hold one brought back the images of the night he had murdered Jenny Calendar, had hunted her down inside the very halls that Buffy walked during the day. He remembered the sound the teacher's neck had made when he had snapped it, the wet echo that flowed through the hallway pressing down on his brain.

As he finished going through the last box, he picked up the wooden crate and hurled it across the room, frustrated at the lack of an Orb. Impacting against the cement wall with a massive amount of force, the crate disintegrated and fell to the floor in numerous pieces. The store was the only one in town, and he didn't know how close the nearest one would be. Time was a valuable thing, and the longer Buffy's body remained under the control of the demon now inside her, the harder the grief would be to bear. Already the amount of things she would have to suffer through were great, and he didn't want anything more to be added to that list.

Pressing his back against the wall, Angel let himself slide down to the ground and simply let the emotions he was feeling overtake his senses, let them drive him and control his actions. He felt something like tears beginning to well inside his eyes as he thought of Buffy, of how her voice had sounded like the most heavenly thing on the face of this Earth. She had been his salvation, the thing that would save him, she had loved him with every inch of her soul, and in return, he had violated her, had turned her into an animal. He had ripped the soul from her body and given birth to the demon inside of her.

Would she still want him when her soul was restored? Would she ever want to feel his touch on her skin again? Would she even be able to stand what she had become? She had told him once that becoming a vampire was her worst nightmare, the single thing that she feared most in the world. It had haunted her dreams since the first day she had learned about the entire demon infested world that she had lived in. She had suffered through a few hours of being one when nightmares had overtaken the entire town, and even then, she had never forgotten how it had felt, to be one of the things that she had been destined to destroy.

He thought of how he had felt when he had encountered Darla after his soul had first been forced into his body as a way of revenge. She had been disgusted at the very notion of a vampire having a soul, of regretting the way they had lived for decades by that point. She had thrown him out, much in the same way Buffy had done only a few hours earlier. Overall, his mate and childe had taken it better than his sire had, the emotion he had heard in Buffy's voice having been that of fear and pain. She wanted him back, to be with her. In many ways, she was still the girl he had fallen in love with, wanting only to be with him and nothing but that single thing. Becoming a vampire had been a gateway to that, of having not to worry about his soul being ripped from his body.

Everything would be the same as it had been before once her soul was back in control of her body. They would never be as intimate as they had been on that night, when they had finally given into the passion that both of them felt towards one another. Would they be able to control themselves, of being so close but yet so far from having what they both wanted so deep inside them? Passion was a thing that existed inside both of them, living or dead, it was all the same. It was something they felt inside their still unbeating hearts.

Things would never be the same between them.

* * *

"Faith?" That voice was here again, ringing inside her ears and refusing to stop until she acknowledged it. Opening her eyes, she automatically closed them as the lights above her body blinded her, sending a few waves of pain sailing through her brain. Her body was still engulfed in pain, her stomach suffering from the worst of it. Turning her head, she opened her eyes again, and found a lone figure looking down at her, the girl's red-hair being the first give-away as to who it was.

"Hey Faith…" She started before her words completely trailed off and left the room in silence. Looking into the girl's eyes, Faith felt a thread of recognition flow through her mind, a name coming back to her mouth in the process.

"Willow?" She asked, as if she were trying to make sure that the face matched the name. Nodding at her, the red-headed Witch offered the injured Slayer a smile.

"How do you feel?"

"Like someone stabbed me." The Slayer answered, the sarcasm in her voice laced with an unhide able amount of pain. Leaning her head back against the pillow behind her, Faith hissed as a sharp pang of pain erupted in her stomach. Looking down at the shape of her body underneath the pure white hospital sheets, she could almost feel the stiches poking at her as she breathed in and out.

"But someone did…oh, Nevermind."

"Yeah, thanks, W. I'm feeling the love in the room right now."

"Sorry." Was the girl's only response as she looked away from the pained Slayer.

"Anyone else here or is it just us?" Her eyes closed, Faith tried to will the pain out of her body, wanting to get out of this damned room more than anything.

"Just us. Tara thought it would be better to wait outside, and Xander is busy getting some things together for a spell we're going to be doing."

"Sounds fun." The Slayer answered, her voice deadpanned.

"We restored Angel's soul." Opening her eyes again, Faith stared at the girl with disbelief flooding her pupils.

"So the big bad vampire's not whipped by his mate anymore? Doesn't seem like much of an improvement."

"We're going to try and restore Buffy's; we just need a different spell. We tried the original one and Angel's soul was restored instead."

"Just make up something that rhymes and get it over with."

"Faith, I know Buffy hurt you, but that's not her, it's something else."

"That bitch tried to kill me, W. That's not something you forgive easily." Looking into the Witch's eyes, Faith let every single bit of bottled up emotion flood into her senses, wanting to make sure that the girl understood. "Either you restore her soul, or when I can walk, she's dead."

"But you can't blame Buffy for the demon that's controlling her body; it's like blaming a finger for pulling the trigger."

"I don't think you're in any position right now to tell me who I can and can't blame, W. Remember that." Closing her eyes once again, Faith turned her head. "I'll catch ya later." Frowning at the Slayer, Willow pushed herself out of the chair she had settled herself into and moved towards the door. Giving the broken girl one last look, the Witch left the room and made her way towards the exit.

* * *

Finally collapsing against the wall behind her, Buffy looked across the room that she had completely and utterly destroyed after her sire and mate had left and retreated into the night. She could feel a few tears flowing down her cheek, but she didn't feel sad inside, instead she let anger completely overwhelm her senses. She wanted to kill something, to let someone else know exactly how she felt inside right now, to let them share the hatred that filled her unbeating heart. She wanted anyone to share this feeling.

She thought of inflecting the hatred on Willow, of finding the girl and torturing her for hours on end until the Witch either died or she got bored. She smiled at the thought of hearing the girl scream, of seeing tears rolling down her cheek. Closing her eyes, the vampire heard the door to the front of the mansion opening. Grabbing the sword from where it had been impailed into the wall, she got back onto her feet, ready to put her anger to good use. As one of the numerous minions that Angelus had kept under his control walked into the room, she threw the sword and watched with gleeful eyes as the blade sliced through the demon's neck, causing his body to dissolve into dust before anything hit the floor.

Smiling, she walked over and retrieved the blade from where it had imbedded itself into the wall, the wooden structure having absorbed the sword up to its hilt. Holding the weapon in her hand, she again imagined holding her former friend against the wall, thrusting the sword into her stomach in order to make her feel the same amount of pain as the vampire felt right now. The thought again made her smile, and she continued with that line of thought, not noticing a few more of her mate's minions begin to slowly move into the mansion. In time, Buffy turned and noticed them standing there, awaiting orders from their only remaining master.

"Tell me, who do you obey?" She asked the closest one, perking up her eyebrows as if to tell the minion that it was a rhetorical question. Avoiding looking her in the eye, the vampire dropped his gaze to the floor as he answered with a simple 'yes'.

"Good. That means I don't have to bother with training you in any way." Buffy continued, casting a glance at the other vampires standing behind the one in front of her. "Angelus isn't coming back to us for a while, and I need you to do something for me. Somewhere in town, there's a little red-haired Witch, goes by the name of Willow Rosenberg. Find her and bring her to me, alive and unharmed." Seeing that the minion in front of her was going to answer her, she pressed her finger against his lips, effectively trapping the words in the minion's throat. Smiling at him, she made sure that she put no amount of happiness or amusement into the gesture, instead pouring anger and annoyance into its lacing.

"I'm the only one that's going to hurt her. Not. Open. For. Debate." She said, sinking every inch of poison in her veins into her tone of voice. "Bring her to me, and then leave. I just want some alone time with her. We have some…catching up to do." Removing her finger from the vampire's lips, Buffy looked down at the sword in her hands and smiled as she imagined blood being spilled over it. Momentarily pushing the thought aside, she returned her gaze to the other vampires in front of her. "Go."

* * *

"Do you have any experience in writing spells?" She asked the blonde sitting across from her, hoping that the answer would be yes.

"A little, I've o-only done I-it once or t-t-twice." Tara answered, twirling the pencil she held in her hands. "They didn't e-end very w-w-well."

"Well, that's good that at least you tried…I guess." Willow said, looking down on the blank piece of paper she had sitting in front of her. "That helps us a little. You have more experience with it than I do."

"Maybe w-we should wait f-f-for Mr. G-Giles?"

"I don't think we have that much time, considering what's happened. We need to restore Buffy's soul, and we need to do it now."

"O-ok."

"It should be simple, right? I mean, we just write some words that rhyme, throw in something about Hecate, and we're set…right?"

"It a-a little more c-c-complicated than that." Leaning back in her chair, Willow let any thought her mind could come up with fly at her, hoping that she could pick apart one piece that made sense. How did anyone in the centuries before now write spells? Did they simply write down what came to mind, but gathered it into a coherent form? Did they write it as a form of poetry, with each word meaning something greater? Closing her eyes, the red-head sighed. This was going to be harder than she had thought.

What happened in the following minutes was a rapid blur, with the doors to the library being kicked off of their hinges, the wooden frames flying across the room in the process. Instinctively getting onto her feet, the Witch only managed to catch a small glimpse of the vampire before its fist slammed into her chin, knocking her to floor. Somewhere off to her side, she could hear Tara scream before the black dots that had rapidly started to cloud her vision finally began overtake her thoughts. Fighting to remain awake, Willow felt something pushing down on her neck, the air rapidly cycling out of her lungs, making the fight to stay awake even harder.

Tara's scream once again cut through the air, the sound of it being the last thing she heard before her body finally gave out on her and she felt darkness overtake her senses.

* * *

"_Come on, Wills, wakey- wakey_." All around her, Willow could hear Buffy's voice, every inch of her body erupting in pain as she started to regain consciousness, the darkness that had taken her captive beginning to fade. Slowly, the Witch opened her eyes, struggling to focus on the face that appeared directly in front of her.

"There you go, I was hoping you would wake up soon. I was starting to get bored." Her vision still clouded and blurry, Willow could still hear the vampire's voice swimming through her ears, the same voice that she had become so accustomed to hearing every day at school.

"Buffy?" The red-head asked, trying to move before she felt the rough feeling of rope digging into her wrists and ankles, making her stop as she slowly realized where she was.

"That's me. Soul-less, blood sucking me." She heard the vampire respond, managing to see her make a gesture towards the room around the two of them. "Welcome to my merry home. It's a little big for me since Angelus left, but I manage. Of course, _you_ would know how my sire regained his soul, wouldn't you?"

"Buffy, please, we were just trying to help..." Willow started before she felt the vampire's hand wrap around her neck, forcing all the oxygen in her lungs out of her throat.

"_Help?_ Do I look like I need help? I was doing fine until you used your little spell on my Sire." Tightening her grip on the Witch's neck for only a second, the blonde vampire let go, leaving her former friend gasping for air. The room fell entirely silent, save for the sound of Willow desperately trying to get more air into her system. Her breathing beginning to return to its normal pace, the Witch still felt her heartbeat continuing to increase as fear flooded into her system, all of it stemming from the realization that the vampire in front of her meant to hurt her, to make her feel more pain than she had ever felt before in her entire life.

"Buffy, please, just listen to me." Turning back towards the Witch, the vampire crossed her arms across her chest as she stared down at her captive.

"Is this about the minion I sent to get you? Don't worry, I saw the bruise on your chin. He's dust now. I told them, I'm the only one that gets to hurt you." As she heard the blonde's words, Willow's eye lit up with fear, making Buffy smile as she sensed the fear the teenager was beginning to feel simply by being in her presence.

"_Oh god." _Hearing the girl's words as she muttered them underneath her breath, Buffy again smiled, making her way over to the red-head and kneeling down in front of her.

"He's not going to come save you. We've got some things to discuss, and I'd rather get on with the conversation, wouldn't you?"

"Buffy, what are you going to do?"

"Hurt you, of course. You made me feel pain, so I figure it's an eye for an eye." Closing her eyes, Willow wished that this was all a dream and that she could simply make all of it go away by waking up, safe in her bed, covered in her flannel pajamas. Feeling the vampire's cold fingers touching the side of her face, she knew that she wasn't going to wake up.

"Come on now, don't cry…at least not yet. We haven't even started yet." Moving some of the girl's red-hair out of her eyes, Buffy returned to her full height and slowly walked over to a nearby table. Reaching for a knife that was lying on the piece of furniture, she returned her attention to her former friend, and again crouched in front of her.

"Where should we start?"


	15. A Game

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I really appreciate it :) I like reading yours guys' and gals' thoughts. It helps me to focus on where the story should be going.**

**As always, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

"Tara?!" Xander asked, rushing over to the spot where the blonde lay, surrounded by numerous amounts of smashed furniture and scattered books. Her vision starting to clear, the teenager allowed the boy to help her onto her feet, the room momentarily spinning as she regained her balance.

"Are you ok?" Cordelia inquired, standing a few feet away from the two in an attempt to avoid coming close to the numerous sharpened objects in the room.

"Y-yeah I'm f-f-fine."

"What happened?"

"V-v-vampires." She answered, looking around the room slowly as her vision finally cleared. "W-where's Willow?"

"You mean she was here?" Xander's voice was ablaze with concern now, as he watched Cordelia look around the ruined room in an attempt to find the red-headed Witch.

"Y-yes. I-I saw t-t-them knock her o-out."

"They've taken her then." Cordy added, ceasing her search for Willow as she spoke. "And we have no idea where they would have taken her, besides back to where our undead Slayer is."

"Buffy thinks that Willow restored Angel's soul on purpose."

"But s-s-she didn't."

"Buffy won't care. She's angry, and she's going to take out all that anger on the person she thinks is responsible." Xander explained, helping the girl to a nearby chair that hadn't been destroyed in the melee earlier.

"Meaning Willow." Cordy added, crossing her arms across her chest.

"And we know that Angel was the king of torturing people back in the olden times. Imagine what he taught Buffy in just a sort amount of time."

* * *

"I can make all of this stop, Willow. I probably _won't_, but I _could_ if I wanted to." Pacing around the girl tied to the chair, Buffy watched as Willow raised her head slightly, if only to hear her captor better. Numerous cuts covered her face and dried blood also lay in various patches along her skin. "We could have avoided all of this, but you had to go and pull a Sabrina on me, restore Angel's soul and all that jazz." Grabbing the red-head's chin, she pushed the girl's head up until they were looking into each other's eyes. "_Why_ would you ever do such a thing to me? I thought we were friends."

"It doesn't…matter…what I say. You'll…hurt me….anyway." Willow managed to push out of her tired body, her mind barely keeping her body awake from the amount of pain it had taken in over the past two hours.

"Eh, you're probably right." Wrapping her finger around the girl's red-hair, the vampire felt the girl's body tense, and she smiled.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you anymore…at least not for a few more minutes."

"Just stop…_please_."

"Could, but I won't. You've taken something from me, so I feel as if I'm in the right here to be doing what I'm doing." Letting the girl's hair fall from her grip, the vampire continued to walk around the Witch in a circle, observing the pain she had inflected on her former friend. "All I want you to do for me is to revoke the curse, and I'll stop hurting you. No more pain, no more hurt, you'll be free to go."

"I…don't…know…how."

"Then I guess we're going to be here for a while then…" Stopping her cycle, Buffy dropped down to her knees in front of the red-head. "I can get you the books you need, if you'll tell me the titles you used. Will that help?"

"Can't…won't…" Letting her head fall, Willow was silent, her breathing beginning to sound labored as she fought to stay awake. Turning away from the girl with a look of frustration on her face, Buffy eyed a few more shards of broken glass and made her way back to the girl with one of the larger pieces in hand, a few splots of blood splattered across it. Seeing the broken glass, Willow let out a groan from her lips, trying to move the chair in the process. Smiling at the girl's attempt to escape, Buffy pushed the glass into her pocket, and laid her hands against both of the Witch's cheeks. Morphing into her vampire form, she looked into the girl's scared and tired eyes, noticing the pain that lined both of her pupils.

"Come on, stay awake." Letting her hands fall back to her sides, Buffy removed the shard of glass from her pocket and again resumed her cycle around her captive. Looking at the girl's red-hair for a moment, the vampire used the shard to move a few strands of it out of the girl's face.

"Whatever you want, I'll get for you... Don't make me hurt you anymore."

"You're...lying…"

"How do you know? I could be telling the truth, and you just don't know it." Being met with only silence from the teenager, Buffy grabbed her throat again, receiving a smaller reaction that she had when the girl had originally woken up, but still seeing a reaction nevertheless.

"Willow, tell me how to undo the curse! There _has_ to be a clause in it somehow!"

"There is…"

"Why don't you share it with me then? I'm dying to hear it."

"The curse can be lifted…only by a _moment…of perfect…happiness_." Hearing the words leave the girl's mouth, Buffy only tightened her grip.

"_Not_ the time for jokes, Wills. I already tried that, and Angel wasn't in the mood to play." Her eyes looking down at the shard of glass still in her hand, the vampire held it up for the girl to see. "That's your blood on it, your nice, warm, Witch-filled blood. How does it feel to look at it? To know that I made it come out of your body?" Closing her eyes, Willow could feel her grip on reality starting to fade.

"Come on, Willow, stay with me here." Slapping the girl's cheek a few times in an attempt to wake her up, Buffy smiled once she saw the red-head's eyes open once more. Changing her face back into its human form, the former Slayer stared at the girl.

"Hello again." She said, tossing the shard of glass over her shoulder, not a single muscle in her body flinching when the sound of the shard shattering filled out the room. "Ok, lookie, no more glass. Can't have you blackening out on me."

"_Thanks_." The girl's voice weakly replied, all tone or emotion disappearing from its sound.

"You're welcome. I'm an inventive girl, so I can think of something else to do to you." She answered, kneeling down in front of the Witch. "Let's see, so sharp is completely out now. _What to do? What to do_?" Eying the red-head's wrist, Buffy smiled and quickly went to work untying Willow's left wrist. Feeling the girl's pulse underneath her grip, the vampire quickly morphed into her true form and bit into Willow's wrist. Her eyes widening with shock, the girl screamed for a minute before a feeling of warmth spread through her body with a rapid pace. Closing her eyes, she felt all of her pain momentarily slip away as if she had indeed awakened from a terrible nightmare.

"_No_, stay awake." Withdrawing her fangs from the girl's wrist, Willow felt all of the individual pains in her body come flooding back, making her want to scream again.

"Did that feel good, Wills? Having all of that pain not in your body anymore?" She asked, the tone in her voice mocking the Witch as she suffered through the pain of her wounds coming back. Slipping her finger underneath the girl's chin, Buffy again made the Witch lock eyes with her. "I could make you like me, if you wanted. There'd be no more pain, no more responsibilities, no more anything really. We'd all be one big happy family."

_"…No…"_

"Don't say I didn't offer you a way out then." Wiping the blood away from around her lips, the vampire retied the rope around her captive's wrist and headed towards the door as the sound of someone knocking on it echoed through the room. "I've got a few things to do. You be good now, ok? I've got some people here to look after you." Silence. "Don't worry, you know them."

* * *

The night now having reached its peak, Buffy smiled as she watched her prey try to crawl away from her. The girl she had found wasn't anyone she recognized, but that wasn't any particular loss. A meal was a meal. Gripping the girl by the throat, she quickly bit into her neck and felt the hunger she had inside her stomach fade as the blood collected inside her.

"Having fun?" She heard someone ask, and as she turned, her fangs leaving the girl's neck, she found Angel standing a few feet away from her, his body dressed in his usual attire of pure black. Releasing her grip on the girl's neck, the vampire titled her head at her sire in a very humanish manner.

"Pretty much. How about you? Missed me already? It's only been a day or two. I mean, I know that going about and trashing a deserted magick shop was probably your way of working things out, but I'm still here."

"How did you know about that?" His voice had no emotion in it as he spoke, and the look on his face matched that emotionless tone perfectly.

"I've got eyes everywhere, Angelus. Just as you did. You can't tell me you've forgotten about them already."

"I wish I could."

"Wishes, wishes, wishes. I don't look like a vengeance demon, do I?"

"No."

"I thought so. I'm a lot prettier than one as well. So, what brings you here? You looking for that special moment with me?"

"I've come to take you back."

"Take me back where?"

"You'll find out." He said, starting to move closer to her as he spoke. Cracking her neck, his childe continued to have a smile on her face.

"Oh, I love surprises." She said, raising her fists in the process. "But you know me, I love a fight before I get taken anywhere." Not waiting for her sire to respond, Buffy launched herself at him, smiling as the force of her attack knocked him to the ground. Morphing into his vampire form, Angel fought back, knocking her off of him and getting back onto his feet. Already shrugging off the impact of hitting a tombstone, the former Slayer raised her fists just in time to avoid a swing by her sire. Managing to put a few feet between herself and him, Buffy smiled again, noticing the dark look that Angel held in his eyes.

"What, is this your attempt to be bad for me?"

"Something like that."

"You know, I could easily make that soul go away, if you'd let me."

"Tempting, but I'll pass." As she heard his response, Buffy's smile disappeared from her lips.

"Then what exactly are you trying to do here? Relive the past without the consequences? Or did you just want to get me in the mood? Either way, you're kinda succeeding."

"Good to hear." Kicking himself off the ground using all of his strength, Angel tackled his childe and quickly grabbed her arms, effectively trapping her underneath him. Her face changing into its human guise, the childe looked up at her sire and smiled.

"Getting forceful l I see."

"You can handle it." He said, still gripping her arms in his hand as he pulled her up onto her feet.

"Never said I couldn't. Still, I'd like to know what you're planning exactly. It's not exactly fun being kept in the dark."

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Clenching his other hand into a fist, Angel looked away as he felt his hand connect with Buffy's chin, the force of the impact making the other vampire's vision go black. As her entire body fell limp, he gathered her into his hands, and began to walk out of the graveyard.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Buffy felt the hunger in her stomach already beginning to overwhelm every sense in her body. She felt slightly sore, but she thrived on the pain, allowing that feeling to become more important than the hunger she felt coursing through her entire system. Looking around, she felt an added weight on both her right ankle and left wrist, the tell-tale sign of metal clanking against the floor underneath her being all she needed to know what position she was in. Placing her hand against the floor, she tried to get back onto her feet, but the chains connected to her leg and arm weren't long enough to permit her to do so.

"Awake?" She heard him ask, his voice shattering through her mind as her ears eagerly picked up on it. Looking up, she smiled as she saw Angel sitting across the room, his voice still completely void of any tone or emotion.

"Chains, Angel?" She said, making her voice as seductive as she could possibly muster. "I didn't know you were still into that. Although I think you're supposed to be a little closer to me than you are right now."

"Don't think I brought you here simply because I wanted to do _that_ with you."

"Alright, I won't. Still, I'm curious as to why I'm here, chained to your floor."

"It's a precaution. Until Willow restores your soul." As she heard the words leave his mouth, Buffy laughed, remembering what the red-head's screams had sounded like.

"Good luck with that. Didn't you already know? I've got her squared away somewhere. Had a few of our minions go and fetch her for me. We had some things we need to work out between us."

"Where is she?" He asked, his voice getting a slight tone to it as he felt concern for the young Witch. Hearing it, the childe smiled at him, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"Oh, she's around. Don't worry, she's taken care of. I got her food, water, and all the little things that humans need."

"She isn't your pet, Buffy, what did you do to her?"

"I did exactly what she did to me. I _hurt_ her. You know, all the things you taught me, about how the cuts shouldn't be deep enough to let them bleed out, and how you should talk to them, force them to let you into their mind? They work. Perfectly." As she finished her sentence, the childe smirked, her eyes still dancing with an unseen fire. She was enjoying every minute of this, seeing him angry and dark. True, it wasn't a moment of perfect happiness, but it was close enough for her.

"Where is she?" He said, coming closer to her as he spoke, the sound of his boots echoing off the floor.

"I told you, you didn't need to worry. She's not dead."

"That's not what I asked. _Where. Is. She_?"

"You want that information?_ Come and get it_." She replied, motioning with her finger to come closer. As he walked towards her, the smile never once faded from her face. She was at no advantage, but yet she was still enjoying this, taunting him despite the fact that he could hurt her, could even kill her. He had prepared himself to do it, but he didn't know if he could actually go through with it. It would kill him every day for the rest of his existence if he would be the one to end her life, living or undead.

"I believe that if we exchange information, both of us will be happy, one way or another."

"You want me to tell you what your friends are planning." It sounded more like a statement than an answer, but the childe recognized what it truly was.

"No, not really. I'm more interested in exactly what you think you can do. Do you really think you can kill me?"

"I don't know."

"You're unsure of whether you can put a stake through my heart and watch me turn to dust."

"Yes."

"It's so _good_ to know that you_ still_ care." She said, partially mocking him, but at the same time smiling as she heard him say it. "Your turn."

"What are you going to do with Willow?"

"Hurt her some more. I'll either get bored, or her little heart will stop, and she'll die." She shrugged. "Either way, I win."

"Why hurt her? She was only trying to help you."

"Because she took you away from me." Reaching up with her free hand, Buffy rested her fingers against Angel's cheeks for a few moments before she let the limb fall back to her side. "I felt so hurt, that I just wanted someone else to have to feel it. Naturally, I went after the Witch that cast the curse."

"Even though she was only trying to help you the only way she saw fit."

"I could care less what she thought was right. I didn't think it was, so I hurt her. I bit her as well, and I can tell you that Wiccan blood tastes particularly good. My turn." Leaning back against the cement wall behind her, the childe closed her eyes as she thought about what she wanted to ask. "Why can't you be happy with me the way I am?"

"Because you're not Buffy, not completely."

"You're saying I'm _tainted_ somehow?"

"Your soul isn't in control, you're not _her,_ not in a complete sense."

"So, you think that if I let the little red-head make my soul come back into control, everything will be all better? We'll go back to the way it was before, except we can't touch each other, can't we? Moment of perfect happiness." Her sire was completely silent as she spoke, and as she finished, she found herself waiting for his response.

"No. It can't ever go back to that. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't ask for your soul to be restored, it was forced on you. Do you really want the same thing to happen to me?"

"If I didn't, you wouldn't be here."

"You speak like you really believe that. That it would be so easy to kill someone you love." She said, almost chuckling as she spoke. "You don't think like that, Angel, so spare me a lie you can't even believe yourself. You want me to live, to be with you for the rest of your existence. You want me to be there in the middle of the night when you turn over in bed, so you can look at my face and know that I'm yours."

"You can't kill me for that single reason. And no matter how hard you try, you can't make that go away."

* * *

"What do you mean the curse _won't_ work on Buffy?!" Xander asked, his voice coming close to cracking as he spoke. Looking at the blonde sitting in front of him, he felt like smashing the table his hand lay above, simply to relieve the anger he felt inside his heart.

"W-we were r-r-reading and we found that a S-Slayer's soul doesn't l-leave her b-b-body if she's turned. It's just t-trapped inside while the d-demon fights it f-f-for control."

"So you're saying that the entire time we've been running around doing curse this and curse that, all we needed was a spell to make the soul inside Buffy _stronger_?" Cordelia inquired, rolling eyes in the process. "Can you say _needless_ much?"

"Willow and G-G-Giles weren't completely s-sure. It was s-s-something that wasn't mentioned m-much in the b-books."

"Well, what are we waiting for? We need a spell, so let's just write one."

"It's n-not that s-simple. It's something t-t-that takes a w-while to do." Tara answered, her stuttering having toned down now that she was more calm. She was still shaken up from her encounter with the vampires, but her worry about Willow overwhelmed everything else. She couldn't explain it, other than that a person that had been nothing but kind to her was in trouble, and there was still a chance to save her. "I n-not sure if I'm s-strong enough to w-write one and make it w-w-work."

"What do you mean? She's not a Witch like Willow is…right?" Cordelia asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Xander and Tara.

"I'm not a-as strong as W-Willow is, but I've cast a f-f-few spells."

"Then you're telling me you can make Buffy's soul stronger?"

"I'm n-not sure."

"Well, if we're going to do anything, we have to do it quick. Am I the only one that remembers that our book person and Slayer are both in the hospital?" Cordy added, pushing herself away from the table and getting back onto her feet.

"Tara, listen to me, you have to try."

"B-but…" The blonde started before Xander rested his hand atop her knee.

"You _can_ do this." Hearing the words of encouragement, the young Witch closed her eyes and breathed out, trying to calm herself in order to think properly. Opening her eyes, she tried her best to put a display of determination on her face.

"Get me s-some paper."

* * *

"Who did you get to watch Willow?" He asked, realizing that the game that she had forced him to play was coming to a close.

"I sent word through the underground, and I brought the rest of our twisted little family home." Her words crashing around his brain, it took Angel only a minute to realize what his childe was telling him.

"You brought back Spike and Drusilla?"

"I thought that since we're basically married now, it would be nice to see my 'children', since I am their mother now, in a sense."

"Do you even realize what they'll do?!" Her sire asked, gripping her shoulders in the process.

"Of course. They'll do whatever I say they will. You should have seen how Spike looked at me when I first brought him into the mansion."

"Buffy, you're losing your mind!"

"It wouldn't be the first time you've caused someone to do that, wouldn't it? I do recall that our poor little daughter is a little insane." Buffy said, morphing into her vampire form and laughing, her yellow eyes piercing Angel's soul. "Don't worry, they won't touch Willow. I told them that she's only for me to hurt." Getting back onto his feet, Angel headed for the door and had opened it only a crack before the ray of sunlight burst into the room, part of it striking Buffy's hand, causing a small fire to erupt on her skin. Her laughter quickly replaced by screams, she frantically tried to smother the flame. Shutting the door as quickly as he had opened it, he rushed over to her, and helped her put the small fire out, her screams stopping in the process.

"It looks like we're going to be in here for a little while more, _Angel."_ She said, nearly spitting his name in the process. "Since it looks like you lost track of time."


	16. Contact With The Soul

**Alright, back to the our normally scheduled program after I took a small break to work on a short novella XD**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Opening her eyes, Willow felt every muscle in her body begging her not to move. She knew that her wrists were still tied to the chair, the ropes digging fiercely into her skin. She felt tired and she still hurt in every inch of her skin, but her body wasn't as pain drenched as it had been earlier, when Buffy had still been hurting her. She still didn't believe that it had really been her friend that had been hurting her, cutting her, mocking her, and it _hadn't_ been. The demon inside her had worn her face the entire time, as if merely looking at her with those same eyes had been an insult to her.

_"It's not Buffy."_ She said underneath her breath, the tone of her voice sounding completely unlike herself. The sentence floated back to her, making her realize that she was apparently completely alone in the room. Willing her body to move despite the untold amounts of pain it caused to circulate through her system, she titled the chair back and forth, trying to find some point that the ropes weren't as tight as they were everywhere else. As the chair's left side left the floor for a split second, it came back down and sent a small impact sound that echoed throughout the entire room and out into the connecting hall.

"I think the little strawberry is finally awake." She heard a voice purr behind her, the sound of it sending shivers down her spine as she recognized its owner, her mind coming up with only one possible name. _Drusilla?_

"Finally. I thought she'd be asleep forever." Someone else added, the voice again being recognized instantly by Willow from where she sat still tied to the chair. "Typical teenaged girl, wasting the day away while the rest of the bloody lot work."

"She's been a bad dolly though, Spikey. She made the Angel beast come back and sent daddy away." Their voices continued to come closer to her, and she avoided looking anywhere but down at the ground in front of her. She had seen the demons that Angelus had spawned before, and they still frightened her, even despite the magick she had inside of her.

"_Good riddance." _Spike muttered, dropping his cigarette from his hand and stamping it out with his boot.

"What do you say, little dolly? Why have you been such a naughty, naughty girl?" Dru asked her, running her fingers through Willow's red hair.

"_This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening…" _

"Afraid it is, love. Don't know why the Slayer wants you so bad, but as long as we're having fun with it, I couldn't give a bullock less."

"Now, now, Spikey. Mummy said we mustn't touch the little Witch. She's her little play-thing. And mummy wouldn't like it if we played with her things without permission."

"Whatever you say, love." Closing her eyes, Willow tried to block out the voices that had quickly surrounded her.

"Hiding in the dark?" She heard Dru ask her, her voice only inches away from her face now. "The shadows like to play games inside your head, don't they dearie?"

"_Oh, god."_

"Why is it they always say that? Does it give them so much comfort to know that some fictional poof up in the sky is watching them? Bloody bollocks if you ask me."

"Hush, the angels are saying that the Witch doesn't want us to be near her." Smiling with emotion that only someone with no sanity could muster, Drusilla continued to run her fingers through Willow's hair, tracing the strands from the roots down to her shoulders. "Isn't that right, little Witch?"

"Um…yes?" Willow managed to push past her lips, her voice coming out as nothing more than a whisper, much like what she had said only moments before.

"So the girl can talk to us then."

"Of course she can talk, silly Spike. Mummy wouldn't have liked to hurt someone and not have them scream. Daddy was the same way." Letting the girl's hair fall out of her grip, Dru carefully traced her finger along the small cuts that Buffy had left on Willow's face. The cuts themselves burning slightly, the Witch hissed but bit back the urge to say 'Ow' or even move her face away from the vampire's touch.

"Does that burn, little one? Of course it does. Mummy wanted you to make sure you knew that you were naughty." As she spoke, Dru let her finger linger over a particular cut, making the wound begin to 'burn' more and more with each passing second. Shaking her head slightly, Willow couldn't make the vampire remove her finger, the wound on her cheek almost completely on fire.

"_STOP!"_ She screamed out, almost breathing a sigh of relief as the fire within the wound began to die down. Smiling at her, Drusilla clapped her hands.

"The dolly speaks, say something else. The halo around your head is smiling at us." As she heard the insane vampire speak, Willow felt her already low spirits drop even further. If Tara and the others didn't do something soon, she wouldn't be walking out of here.

Alive, at least.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want our help doing this?" Xander asked, watching as Tara continued to scribble away at the paper in front of her, the pencil in her hand seemingly moving on its own. Looking up from what she had been writing, the blonde offered him a small smile.

"No, I'm fine. Keep doing what you were doing."

"Alright." He answered, leaning back into his chair and closing his eyes. Despite the easy-going nature he was putting out, he couldn't deny the tension in the room. There were only three of them left now, and that number could easily shrink at any moment. As long as Buffy's soul remained a prisoner inside her own body, the danger of being killed was present.

The first few rays of dawn began to make their way through the nearby window, signaling that the night was finally coming to an end. All in all, it had been the longest two nights of their lives so far, with two of their most powerful members having been taken out of the game by the two vampires that had been the most dangerous things in their lives for the past weeks. And then, one of them had come back into the fold, _slightly_, considering that they still didn't know if they could trust him. He had gone evil once, and they had no true way of knowing his intentions.

He had said he wanted to help Buffy regain her soul, but did he already know that her soul was still inside of her, trapped like some animal in a cage? None of the Scoobies had any idea what had transpired during those few days between the battle at the Mansion and the night Willow had allowed Buffy to enter her house. Had she shown signs that her soul had lost her control of her body, and that a fight had begun inside of her for which force would control her indefinitely? So many questions, and the answers to any of them were still nowhere in sight.

"Don't y-you guys have s-s-school today?"

"I figure that since our principal is dead, what's the point in going? After all, the threat of the world ending seems to put a damper on whatever studies I could have possibly been forced to learn." He answered, his body still leaned back into the chair.

"Same. Besides, who knows what kind of monsters Buffy could throw against us, considering that she's…well evil at the moment." Cordelia added, her head resting agaisnt her hand as she tried to stay awake.

* * *

"Yes, can I speak to Rupert Giles, please?" Upon hearing the staff's response, Cordelia rolled her eyes, even though the person on the other end wouldn't be able to see her response. "Well, can you _go_ and _get_ him, _please_?"

"Trouble getting past the front desk?" Xander asked, looking up from the book he had been browsing through, mostly in an attempt to relieve boredom.

"No, of course not." She answered, the sarcasm in her voice drenching her words. "I'm having trouble ordering a pizza. _Of course_ I'm having trouble getting through to Giles!"

"Maybe try being nice to the people on the other end of the phone?"

"That never works. Being nice is over-rated." As the voice on the other end of the phone snapped to life, Cordelia's attention was once again fully focused on it. "He's asleep right now? Alright, maybe you can do something else for me. There's another patient there that I'm friends with, Faith…" Cupping her hand over the phone again, she looked at Xander and Tara. "Do we even know Faith's last name?"

"Isn't it Lehane?"

"I t-think so."

"Faith Lehane." Cordy said into the phone again, turning her back momentarily to the rest of the group. "What do you mean she's _gone_?"

"She means I decided to check myself out early for good behavior." Faith's voice sounded out, stopping herself from smiling as she entered the library and all eyes in the room turned towards her. She walked with a noticeable amount of pain in her stride, and for a single moment, she almost stumbled, but quickly regained her balance and continued forward.

"Faith?" Cordelia said, not even bothering to cup her hand over the phone.

"That's me."

"H-how are y-y-you?" Tara asked, her hand no longer moving over the paper.

"I'm barely five by five right now. I'll be fine though." The Slayer said, hissing for a moment as a wave of pain shot up through her stomach. The shape of wrapped bandages were visible through the rip in her shirt, the fabric still sliced open from Buffy's knife. The color of the shirt was dyed with a dark color that had turned to a blackened color, but at one time had been red. As she approached the table, Xander shot up out of his chair and offered it to her. As she slowly sat her body down into the offered chair, Faith prevented herself from showing any more of the pain cycling through her.

"Alright, thanks anyway." Cordelia said into the phone, almost slamming in back down in order to address the recently arrived Slayer. "How the _hell_ did you get out so early?"

"What do you think May Queen? I snuck out. Grabbed my clothes and left."

"W-why? The d-d-doctors said you were in p-pretty bad shape."

"Slayer Healing remember? I heal faster than they could have expected." As the words left her lips, another massive amount of pain shot up from her stomach, making her close her eyes, as if to let everyone else know that she was lying.

"Yeah, right. Maybe the doctors weren't so wrong in wanting you to stay a few extra days."

"No offense, X, but maybe you shouldn't talk until you've been stabbed by a super vamp." She snapped, the pain influencing her words. "Because otherwise, I don't think you have much room to talk."

"Whoa, take it easy there, was only thinking that maybe you're not completely ready to go back, Slayer strength a blazing into the fight."

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine." Turning her head towards the blonde Wicca, the Slayer's face refused to change. "How goes the Spell?"

"F-fine."

"Good, because I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told your little red-headed friend. If you don't restore B's soul, I'm going to kill her. Because me and her, we got some things to settle."

* * *

"You can't break those that way." He said, fighting back a small smile as he watched her continue to bash the cuffs off the floor beneath her. She had been at it for the past two or three hours, her face changing back and forth between its vampire and human forms as her anger only made her bash the metal restraints harder.

"Watch me."

"You're going to make yourself hungry doing that. And I don't have anything here." Finally seeing the truth in her sire's words, the childe stopped, but not before giving the cuff one last bash. Leaning back against the wall, she gave an exaggerated sigh of anger and closed her eyes.

"Are you going to just sit there and watch me sleep?"

"I could. I recall that you used to like that."

"Don't act like I'm the same person you slept with. She's _dead_, Angel. Sorry, I'm pretty sure that dead people stay in their graves."

"But you didn't, did you?" He asked, pushing himself off of the chair he had been sitting in and making his way over to her. "You came back, minus a little wear."

"Come closer to me, and I swear I'll _bite_ you."

"Just_ try_ it." He said, the darkness in his eyes still remaining from earlier. Looking into them, Buffy knew that something was off about them, but she otherwise remained silent, letting the anger inside of her build up its strength. Looking down, she noticed how close his leg was to the shackled heel of her own, and without further thought, she kicked out with it, grinning widely as he fell to the floor on top of her.

"You know, if you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask." She said, sarcasm drenching her voice as he quickly recovered from the surprise attack. His face morphing into its true form, his hand shot out and grabbed her neck, making her continue to smile at him as his own face changed into its vampire form.

"You know, since I don't breathe, that's not going to work." She said, making no move to make her sire remove his grip on her.

"Never thought that it would. Works at getting someone's attention though." He said, looking her straight in the eyes, the yellow color of their eyes matching perfectly. "I wouldn't recommend doing that again."

"Or what, you'll snap my neck? You know it won't kill me."

"It'd hurt you. And make you immobile until someone snaps it back into place."

"Oh, you're so sexy when you're trying to be evil." She taunted, rolling her eyes in the process. "_Drop the act_, Angel, we all know you're not capable of doing that to me."

"You really want to bet? Since it wouldn't kill you, I could probably suffer through it later on." As his grip on her neck finally loosened, Buffy bit down on his hand, the action letting some of her sire's blood flow into her mouth and down her throat. As he pulled away, Angel looked at the girl, and almost felt like thrusting a stake through her chest, catching himself as he remembered that he was the sole reason she was like this.

No-one else had changed her.

She smiled at him, licking her lips to make sure there weren't any stray drops of blood on her. Looking down at the chain connected to her cuff, she again looked at her sire, the smile never once fading from her face as her features changed into its human guise.

"You know, I just got an idea." Pouring all of her strength into a single kick, she kicked him away from her. Not waiting for the sight of him hitting the opposing wall, Buffy quickly turned her attention towards the chain connected to her. Making the metal restraint as stiff as she could possibly muster, she kicked down on it with her free leg, almost smiling again as the metal broke underneath her strength. As the broken chain spread out across the floor, the sound of it echoed throughout the room. As she pulled against the chain connected to the wall, it again broke, and she was back on her feet within seconds. Raising her fists, she managed to avoid Angel at he launched himself at her, his own fists raised and ready. Ducking, the childe still caught part of her sire's attack, causing both of them to tumble to the ground beneath them. Her hands curling into fists, Buffy's face morphed into its vampire form and as she slammed her fist into Angel's face, she pushed herself away from him.

"Didn't expect me to get free?" She asked, already on her feet again as her sire raised himself back to his full height.

"Can't say I planned on it." He answered, wiping a small bit of blood off of his chin. For a moment, the two simply stood looking at each other, their yellow eyes locked in a death-gaze.

"I can't let you leave, Buffy."

"Oh, and why's that?" She asked, watching him as they began to slowly circle around each other. "Too afraid that maybe I'll take up a bed with Spike?"

"You've killed too many people. I won't let you cause yourself any more grief further on down the line."

"Awww, you're so _sweet_." Stopping, she momentarily switched back to her human face. "_Oh, Angel, when I look into the future, all I see is you. All I want is you."_

"Don't."

"_When I look at you, I want to die_." Smiling, she stopped and morphed her face back into its true form. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Don't. You're not her, not completely. You have no right to talk to me like that."

"But I wear her face so well, don't I? I say her voice so perfectly. I _am_ her, and you can't accept that I'm exactly like you now."

* * *

As she sat cross-legged atop the table, Tara closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breathe. As she regained her focus on the paper sitting in her lap, her handwriting stared back at her. The spell itself seemed simple enough to suit their immediate needs, and given the rushed feel that her handwriting held on the paper, she hoped more than anything that the spell would work. She had tried her own spells on a few occasions before now, but this was a more desperate situation than she had ever experienced.

If the spell didn't work, there was a good chance that Willow _could_ die.

"I'm ready." She said, watching as Xander simply nodded and began to light a series of candles that sat around her in the shape of a circle. There was no other light in the entire room, save for the small ray of moon-light penetrating the window from outside.

The candles completely lit around her, Tara slowly began to read through the spell, saying each word with purpose and emphasis.

"_Hecate, my goddess, hear my call_

_Help us free the one girl of them all_" As her words spread out through the room, the atmosphere around the Scoobies began to turn cold, the air actually starting to move around them as if a breeze had started up. Her hair beginning to be blown back as she spoke, Tara continued to focus on nothing but the words in front of her. The flames on the candles were beginning to flicker, the wind threatening to extinguish them completely, but still they burned on. Closing her eyes, she let the magick flow through her, the sensations filling every inch of her skin.

"_See the soul that lies inside_

_And free it from the bonds of which its tied_

_Weaken the demon that maintains control_

_And lessen the body's greatest toll_

_Bring her back, and give her control_

_And bring to light, the Slayer's soul!" _

* * *

Dodging another punch, Buffy could see the caged aggression in her sire's attacks, the emotion barely under his control. He was holding back, partially in an attempt to avoid hurting her. As she swung her fist around, she grinned as her fist landed squarely on the other vampire's cheek. His body momentarily thrown off balance, he was too late to avoid his childe's kick and quickly felt his back meeting the solid combination of loose dirt and a small tombstone. Before he could regain his senses, Buffy had her foot on top of him, pushing him back down onto the ground.

"Tired already? You're getting old." She mocked, removing her foot in order to kick him in the ribs. Not deeming his attacker worthy of a response, Angel pushed himself off of the ground, and let his body drop back into an attack stance. Frowning, Buffy again resumed her preferred stance, and stared at the other vampire in front of her. Her body poised to strike, at the last possible second, something in the childe's eyes changed. The hardness and blood-lust that they had held for the past few weeks faded for a single moment, and the caring look that had been their normal feature a few months ago returned.

"Angel?" She asked, the tone of her voice having changed as well. Looking into her eyes, the sire could see the familiarity in them.

"Buffy?" As she took a step towards her, she backed away, her entire body shaking in the process.

"_No, no, no, get back down there!"_ Her voice had changed again, the harshness returning to it as her face changed back to its vampire form. Her body backing into a nearby tombstone, her face and voice again changed, the soul and demon continuing to fight inside the same body. As she looked up at him, Buffy had a single tear falling down her cheek.

"_Angel, please, kill me." _And then, the bloodlust of the demon completely overtook her body, tone, and eyes, As she shook her head for a moment, the demon morphed the body's face into its vampire form once again.

"Sorry about that, seems someone wanted to come and say hello." It said, speaking in Buffy's voice, but using a darker tone. "Did you enjoy her visit?"


	17. Prelude

**Sorry for the wait in-between chapters again, took me a couple days to recharge my creative juices for this. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other Buffyverse characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"What did you do with her?" Angel asked, repeatedly curling and uncurling his fists as the words left his lips.

"Oh, don't worry, she's safe. She's in no danger…as long as something doesn't happen to _me_." As she stared back at him, the childe tilted her head slightly.

"Answer. The. Question."

"And I told you, don't worry. She's got a front row seat to everything that's happening, you know. She's seen and felt everything just as I have. Every touch, every moment of pain, every twinge of pleasure, she's felt and heard everything that's happened." As she spoke, the vampire smiled, seeing the emotions that flowed across Angel's face. "What? Can't you stand knowing that the entire time we were in the throes of wild and untamed passion, she was there? She could feel everything we did to each other. It's the truth. Hurts, but then again, the truth always does." Looking away, Angel rested his hand against a nearby statue, the cold stone of the piece matching the cold feel of his palm perfectly. Almost disappointed at her sire's lack of a 'proper' response, the vampire made her way towards him, swaying her hips in the process.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" As she made her way around him, she stared up at him, her yellow eyes seemingly glowing despite the darkness around them. Looking down at her, he watched her lips turn into a sadistic smile, the hunger for blood running and dancing through her yellow eyes in the process. Whatever trace of Buffy's soul that he had seen only moments before was gone now, completely overtaken by the demon that was once again in control of her body.

"I swear, I'm going to end you."

"Oh, I'm so _scared_! He's going to shove a wooden stake through my heart!" The smile disappeared as she made an exaggerated gesture of being stabbed in the chest. "You'll kill her as well, can you really live with yourself if you do that?" Inside his still heart, Angel knew that the demon had a point. If he staked her, Buffy's soul would be at peace, but she would be dead. Could he really live knowing that he had been the one to kill her?

"Oh, I'm having so much fun with this little game of ours, aren't you?" She asked, her question failing to elect a response. "However, the night grows old." Gesturing over her shoulder at the horizon, the dawn was only just beginning to appear. "And I'm sure that both of us don't want to take up sun-bathing." Slowly, she started to back away, her gaze never once leaving her sire's eyes. Blowing him a farewell kiss, she turned and ran into the shadows, effectively disappearing before Angel could even take a step forward in an attempt to stop her.

He watched the shadows from which she had disappeared into, and then made his way back towards town, leaving only an empty graveyard behind him.

* * *

"Ok, so let me get this plan of yours straight, G-Man." Faith said, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder as she continued to sharpen the stake in her hand. "You want me to rush in, grab Red, and then high-tail it back here?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes." The Watcher replied, his voice still weak but gathering strength with each moment. "We can't simply leave her in Buffy's hands. She no doubt blames Willow for Angel's return, and as such will inflict untold amounts of pain on her, the obvious end being her death. If we don't retrieve her, then we forfeit her life."

"And since she's our little powerful Witch, you want me to get her out so she can work some kind of magick on B?" The question was little more than a statement that didn't require an answer. "Sounds like a regular walk in the park."

"I'm afraid there's no other way... Has Angel returned yet?"

"No, and trust me, I'm fine without back-up on this."

"Are you quite sure? How can you be sure of what forces Buffy now has underneath her command?"

"I'm not, but for some strange reason,_ I don't care_. All I'm doing is rushing in, grabbing W, and getting out." As she shoved the sharpened stake into her boot, Faith grabbed the phone with her now free hand and waited for the Watcher's response.

"Plainly speaking, I would say yes. Did Tara accomplish the spell?"

"As far as I know, the magick thing was a success. If I run into a vampire crying her eyes out, I'll let you know." Ignoring the pain in her stomach as she stood up, the Slayer slammed the phone back onto the receiver. She hadn't had a pleasant night, considering that sleep was something that didn't come easy to her now. As she made her way towards the door, she could hear Xander and Tara continuing to work on yet another spell in the other room, wanting to make sure they were prepared in case the first hadn't been entirely successful.

Pushing the doors open, Faith headed towards the entrance to the school, a small thread of anticipation running through her senses. Whatever was out there, it had a fight coming.

* * *

From somewhere off to her right, she could hear a door being slammed, the echoing sound of the wooden object slamming back into place being enough to overwhelm any other sound that dared to try and overtake it. Footsteps accompanied it, and as they came closer, Willow could feel Drusilla's fingers finally leave her hair. As she looked up from the floor, she could see Buffy quickly approaching her, the vampire's clothes and exposed skin covered with dried blood and a mixture of grass and dirt stains.

"Mummy!" Dru exclaimed, standing up as she spoke with a child-like glee. Ignoring her sire's childe, Buffy raised her hand and quickly brought the back of it down across the red-head's face. The force of the blow nearly knocking the chair over, Willow looked up at the vampire and almost shivered once she saw the anger that had filled out the demon's features.

"Alright, we're going to discuss the little stunt that either you or one of your little friends pulled tonight."

"What?" The word had barely left her lips before she again felt the demon's hand connecting with her face.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." Standing only a feet away from the entire scene, Drusilla's face finally erupted into a smile.

"Oh, another little one has been a naughty girl. They tried to bring the Soul back for a little game that Mummy didn't want her to play." She said, her eyes darting back and forth between both Buffy and Willow. There was a certain dancing in the way she looked at the two, the amusement in her voice overwhelmingly apparent. "Mummy was gone for a moment because the bad Slayer came back."

"_What?!"_ Willow said aloud, the excitement she felt overtaking her voice's tone.

"Don't play games with me, Willow. You know how rough I play." The vampiric Buffy answered, wrapping her hand around the Witch's neck in the blink of an eye. "Did you mumble something that made that pesky soul come back, even for a fraction of a second?"

"No." She managed to force out, the air in her lungs growing thinner as the vampire continued to hold her neck in a tight grip.

"Then _who_ did it?"

"Do you really think you'll get an answer out of the little one by simply killing her?" Spike asked, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it.

"And what do you propose?"

"Simple, let Dru work her magic on the little girl, and I assure you, we'll have more fun with it." As she heard the words the vampires around her were saying, Willow closed her eyes, trying once again to block out any sounds that were in the air around her. She knew that it wouldn't help, but for a single moment, she felt her fear disappear in the darkness before it once again returned in full force.

"Look at me, dearie." Through the darkness, she heard Dru's voice echoing into her ears, and for some reason, the Witch opened her eyes, being met with the vampire's own pupils, and from the second the girl's eyes landed on Dru's eyes, she couldn't peel them away. "That's a good little Witch."

Dru's voice continued to ring through her ears, making every other thought or word disappear as quickly as they arrived. The room behind the vampire rapidly disappeared, and gave way to nothing but complete and total darkness. And then, the vampire in front of her wasn't there anymore, replaced with a perfect recreation of Oz, the accuracy right down to the way his eyes moved. Blinking in disbelief, Willow tried to force the vision of her head, but as she looked upon her dead boyfriend, she couldn't help but feel happy.

"Oz?"

"I'm here, its ok." He reached out and touched her cheek, his fingertips cool to the touch and as soft as she remembered them.

"Oz, you're dead, you're not here, you _can't_ be here." As the words were barely off of her tongue, she felt his finger press down gently onto her lips, effectively silencing her.

"I'm here, Will. Just tell me something."

"What?"

"What were you and everyone else doing?"

"We…we were writing a spell to make Buffy's soul stronger." As she heard the Witch's explanation, Buffy smiled, the demon already hearing the soul inside of her starting to cry out, using all of its strength to push against the invisible 'cage' that surrounded it. _Damn it, don't hurt her!_

"_And what exactly will you do to hurt me if I do? Last I checked, I was in control here."_

_When I get back in control, the first thing I'm going to do is put you down here._

"_You'll try. But I'm starting to get comfy in this body. Maybe you just need some time to adjust to your new surroundings._

"Did it work?" Drusilla/Oz continued, the smile on his face making the Witch feel at ease.

"The demon inside Buffy said it did for a little while. Tara, she must need more power to make it work better."

"I love you, Willow." Leaning in, Oz kissed her, Willow's heartbeat increasing in her chest as the boy's cold lips pressed against her own. Continuing to watch, Buffy and Spike bot had smiles on their faces.

"So that's it then? Slayer's soul still inside you?" He asked, his eyes still focused on Drusilla and Willow. "Seems like the girl's just a caged animal now."

"You could say that. It's similar to how Angelus is trapped in his body by that soul."

"Royal poof that he is, you know, I think he can stay trapped in there for all the sods I can give." The words had barely left his lips when the vampire found Buffy's eyes tearing into him.

"I wouldn't talk about him like that." She said, taking a step towards him as she spoke, his eyes all the while burning into him. "After all, his _mate_ might happen to take offense to that."

"Mate?" For possibly the first time since she had met the vampire, she heard actual surprise in his voice. Moving the hair away from her neck, Buffy showed the vampire the mark on her neck, the ancient way that vampires marked their mates for all eternity.

"It's a beautiful mark, isn't it?" She asked, letting her hair again cover the mark. "It was a gift from Angelus."

"Doesn't surprise me. Bloody poof talked about you all the bleeding time. He was practically obsessed about you."

"I feel so loved."

"Dru, love, that's enough." As she heard her childe's voice, Drusilla broke the kiss with Willow and waved her hand across the girl's eyes. As the vision of Oz disappeared from her eyes, Willow found herself staring into a pair of yellow eyes that could only belong to a vampire.

"Having fun, Wills?" Buffy asked, making her way over to Willow and coming to a stop in front of her. "I know I am."

* * *

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Deadboy himself." Xander touched, a small thread of anger running through his voice in the process. As the souled vampire walked past him, the teenager felt a little bit of disappointment as the vampire didn't rise to the taunt, and instead walked by him. As he came to a stop in front of where she was sitting, Tara looked up at him with a mixed look of fear and anxiety.

"What did you do?" He asked her, his voice sounding very calm and restrained.

"W-we did the s-s-spell. Did it w-work?" In response to her question, the vampire simply nodded.

"For a few minutes at least. The demon took over her again."

"Wait, you_ knew_ about this?" Standing in the doorway to the office, Xander could barely keep the anger inside him restrained.

"I didn't, _he_ did. The other part of me can hide things from me better than any human. There are things that he's aware of that I'm not, unless he wants me to. He can keep things from me and there's nothing I can do about it."

"So once you saw what was happening, he just decided to let you in?"

"You could say that."

"Great, so we're basically dealing with Jekyll and Hyde here."

"You need to make the spell stronger." Angel's attention was on Tara again, his expression showing just a small bit of hope. "The demon inside of her is still too strong."

"B-but I'm n-n-not t-that powerful."

"You need to tap into the magicks more than you already have. You can do it."

"And you know this, how?" Xander interrupted again,

"I've picked up a thing or two over the centuries." This time the vampire didn't even so much as nod at the other teenager, and instead kept his gaze on the Witch in front of him.

"I-I can t-t-try."

"If you don't, Buffy's going to keep picking you off, one by one. And trust me, she will."

* * *

The night air of Sunnydale was almost completely solid with the overwhelming feeling of fear and foreboding. The Hellmouth was still extorting its influence over every single demon and human it could possibly manage. It had done so for centuries, and it would continue to do that so long as it existed.

Ahead of her, the mansion lay in wait, the grounds surrounding it completely silent and still. That stillness was eerie, as if the house itself was waiting for Faith to show up. There were only a few beams of light that escaped out of the still intact windows, a barely noticeable sign of life inside. The rumor around the entire town was that the mansion was apparently haunted, and as such, the townspeople stayed away from it like it was the plague. Apparently there were even some vampires that avoided going near the place, but that purely speculation.

Her footsteps quick and precise, the Slayer made her way towards the building, her clothing black as the night around her. So far, there had been no encounters with guards of any kind, which struck the Slayer as odd considering the kind of resistance Giles had told her to expect. There had been not a single vamp, no demons, and no traps or alarms of any kind. It was as if Buffy and the others _wanted_ her to walk in.

As clichéd as the phrase sounded, things were too quiet.

Had Tara's spell actually worked? Even if it had, Faith had no sympathy for whatever the vampire was feeling. She was there to grab Willow, dust any vamps that got in her way, and get out. Seeing the turned Slayer trapped in her own grief would only be an added bonus. The Slayer wouldn't kill her, she had promised Giles and the remaining Scoobies as much, but she wouldn't give that _bitch_ a single shred of pity. It was hard enough to forgive someone for insulting her, but plunging a knife into her gut? That required more forgiveness than Faith could possibly give.

As the front door opened off to her right, she made herself flat against the wall, her clothing blending in seamlessly against the material that made up the building. A small beam of light stretched out the lawn before it was obscured by a shadow. Her breathing low and shallow, she could smell the unmistakable stench of a burning cigarette. For a minute, she craved one, but quickly forced the urge back down from wench it came.

Seconds turn into minutes with each moment that she stood there seemingly lasting an eternity. Finally, the figure at the door dropped the cigarette onto the ground and walked back inside.

"_Waiting?"_ Turning on her heel, Faith had the stake in her hands even as the words were still fresh on the vamp's lips. As she raised her arm, she felt someone of almost equal strength grab her wrist, effectively stopping the Slayer's attack. In the darkness, she at last recognized the vampire's face.

"Angel?" She asked, her voice coming out as a mere whisper. In response, he nodded, keeping his voice silent inside him. Giving one last look at the door only a few feet away, she turned back to him as he let go of her wrist and she lowered the stake. "So, you come to save her as well?" Again he nodded.

"Alright, look, I know you've probably gotten all teary-eyed at me, but if you're just here for your girlfriend, sorry, but they'll be no sympathy here."

"Wouldn't even think of it." Turning away from the vampire, the Slayer continued to make her way along the wall, watching where she placed her feet in case they had set any traps or alarms along that path. The door itself still remained open, the light from the inside still shining out across the grounds. Apart from the smoking break earlier, none of the vampires had come out again, and there was the barely audible sound of a conversation going on inside.

"I assume you have a plan?" Avoiding the urge to roll her eyes, Faith kept her eyes on what was beneath her.

"Yeah, we go in, find Willow, and get out."

"Doesn't seem like much of a plan."

"Blame G-Man, it was his idea." As she stepped up onto the concrete stairs that led to the door, the Slayer gripped the stake in her hand just a little bit tighter.

"You ready?" She asked, her free hand reaching out and grabbing the side of the door.

"Yeah." As she heard the vampire's response, Faith slowly made her way around the door, taking cover between the one that was still shut. The conversation from inside began to grow louder, the voices now having nothing standing between them and the Slayer's ears. Tilting her head ever so slightly in order to see better, she could see that the hallway and connecting front room were sparsely populated, making it seem like there were hardly any minions left under Buffy's control. Still, she kept herself ready, knowing that the situation could change at any moment.

"You take the ones on the left, I'll take the right." Angel said, pulling his hands out of the pockets of his jacket and clenching them into fists. "Or do you want to take them all yourself?"

"Smartass."


	18. Storm

**This chapter's a little longer than most of the others, so I hope you guys don't mind having to put a little bit more time into reading this. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other Buffyverse characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 18 **

Her entire body screamed out in pain as Buffy pulled the knife off of her skin, its blade stained with blood. Looking away from the small stream of blood that poured down off of her arm, Willow bit back the tears that kept threatening to flow down her cheeks.

"What's the matter, Wills? Don't you like how that feels?" The demon asked, using the bottom of her jeans to wipe off the Witch's blood from the knife. Her eyes closed, Willow didn't answer the vampire, still trying to prevent herself from crying out from the massive amount of pain she was in. Almost disappointed with the lack of a response, Buffy dropped the weapon on a nearby table before returning to her position in front of her prisoner.

"I'll tell you what, how would you like to see something?" Reaching out with her finger, the vampire forced the girl head up, almost smiling as she saw the girl open her eyes. "I'm sure you'd like a break from me hurting you."

"W-what?" The red-head stuttered, unable to stop one tear from falling down her cheek.

"You remember that statue Angelus had before, the one that could end the world?" The Witch nodded. "Well, I've given thought about reactivating him, but I wanted to get your opinion on it first."

"Oh, god, _no, no, no, no…"_ The girl started to babble, closing her eyes again.

"So, I take it you think that's a bad idea?" Continuing with her babbling, the Witch simply nodded. Watching her, Buffy again smiled. "Alright then, I won't do that. But…that gives me more time to spend with you."

* * *

As he dusted the last vampire in sight, Angel almost felt a slight ease as the room fell silent. Faith had already dispatched the last vampire from her 'side', and as she wiped a small beet of sweat from her forehead, she offered the vampire a smile.

"Geez, if the rest of them are as easy as that, I might be out of a job soon."

"Let's just find Willow and get out of here." He said, making his way out of the room and checking the hallway for any stranglers.

"Ok, where did the sarcastic smart-ass I met outside go?" She asked, giving the vampire a curious look. "Oh, wait, I know, this is all about your girlfriend again."

"Don't bring her into this."

"Angel, you can't lie to me. I get the feeling that you're not that good at this. Trust me, I'm an expert at lying, and you've got the 'I'm bad at it' stamp all over you." Before she could blink, he had his hand around her neck, her back pressing against the wall of the mansion. His face was still in its vampire form, only adding more danger to the Slayer's current position.

"You want the truth? I'll give it to you." His grip on her throat wasn't tight enough that she couldn't breathe, but it was still firm enough to keep her from squirming out of his grip. "Tara is going to try the spell again. We need to get Willow so she can establish a mind meld with her. Once they do that, she should have enough power to make Buffy's soul regain control."

"Remember what I told you outside? I'm not here for her, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind jamming a stake into her heart. Remember how she tried to kill me? Not really something I can just forgive and forget."

"Listen to me, Faith, because I'm not going to repeat this for you." His face was only inches away from her own now, and as she looked at the anger coursing through the vampire's eyes, she almost shivered. "If you so much as move towards her with a stake, I'll snap your neck."

"That a promise, or are you just spewing out hot air?" That single taunt made him tighten his grip on her neck, only for a moment, but long enough to make her actually choke. Releasing his grip on her, Angel's face changed back into its human form, and he turned away from her.

"That's up for you to decide."

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Xander asked, watching as Tara once again sat in the middle of a circle drawn on the floor of the library.

"We wait. Once Faith or A-Angel can get Willow to s-s-someplace I can connect with her, I should h-h-have enough power to make Buffy's soul s-stronger than the demon."

"And let the waiting games begin."

* * *

"Do you ever think about death, Wills? About how you want to go out? You know, the way I died wasn't all that bad, sure, it hurt like hell for a few seconds, but after that it was like complete and total bliss." The smile momentarily disappearing from her lips, the vampire dropped her finger back to her side. "I could make you like me, give Dru and Spike a sister. Would you like that?"

"No."

"Oh, come now, Wills. You're a smart girl, I'm sure you and Dru would get along fine. She'd probably be able to teach you a thing or two that you wouldn't be able to learn anywhere else."

"No." She said the word stronger now, despite the tears that were pouring out of her eyes now.

"Think carefully." Stopping in her tracks, Buffy rested her chin on the girl's shoulder, only inches away from a scabbed wound from earlier. "Because I'm not going to offer this to you again. You remember how good it felt when I bit you? How all of that pain was just gone and you felt nothing but warmth? I can make you feel all of that again, only you'd feel it for the rest of the eternity."

The girl didn't answer her, and as Buffy pushed herself away from the chair, she heard that pesky soul talking to her once again. Apparently whatever spell this Tara girl had done to her, it still had a few after effects. The spell itself hadn't been strong enough to grant the soul complete control of the body, but she could still talk.

"_Enough, don't you ever get tired of doing this?" _It asked, and for a split second, the demon thought she could see the soul crossing her arms across her chest.

"_Not really. Lesson I picked up from our mate. Pain is one of the things that makes the kill even better."_

"_He is NOT our mate. He is _your _mate."_

"_And I suppose you think Angel will actually want you back after what I've had us do?"_

"_He doesn't blame me, he blames you." _Simply from the soul's tone of voice, the demon could tell that she didn't believe it herself.

"_You're in this just as much as I am. And even if Angel accepts you back, do you really think any of your pathetic little friends will do the same? I killed Oz, so Willow most likely hates you. Xander seems to be the only one we've haven't hurt, might have to correct that soon enough. We've probably scared Tara for the rest of her adult life since we snapped the boy's neck in front of her. And Giles, well, Angelus made sure that he won't forget what both he and we are capable of."_

"_They all know it was you that did those things. It wasn't me."_

"_Ah, because you're so weak and pathetic that they had to use magick to try and help you."_

"_Stop."_

"_What, are we hurting your feelings? God, you're fucking pathetic."_

"_I'm not the one forced to live by being a leach."_

"_You know, I enjoyed draining our mother. Her blood tasted good flowing down our throat." _

* * *

"Alright, can you sense any of your wacked family in there?" Faith asked, pressing her body back against the wall as she tried to peek in through the crack in the door.

"Spike and Drusilla are in there, Buffy isn't…she's in a different room."

"But the door to that room just happens to lead right through the two love birds."

"Right." Closing his eyes for a moment, Angel's face morphed into its vampire form when he opened them. "She doesn't know we're here."

"Man, those bond things are kinda freaky."

"Comes in handy though. It's part of the reason Angelus marked her as a mate. When he did that, it connected her to him in ways that surpassed the usual sire/childe bond. It was a way of being connected to her, but at the same time knowing what she was thinking."

"Basically wanting to make sure she wasn't screwing some other vamp behind his back?" The statement drew a glare from the vampire, but he nevertheless answered the Slayer.

"In a way, yeah."

"Seems effective. Much cheaper than hiring someone to follow her around." Turning her attention back to the two vampires lying only a few feet away from where she and Angel were hidden behind the door, Faith twirled the stake in her hand a few times before glancing over at the ensouled vampire. "Let's get this over with, the quicker we're out of here, the better. Seeing the vamp who stabbed me isn't on my list of things to have fun with."

* * *

"_You're a monster." _The soul said, still pressing against the 'cage' that the demon had put her in.

"_We're the same person. Even if you ever get back in control, I'll still be here, watching, feeling, talking to you. You'll never be free of me. Now shut up, I'm talking to our friend here."_

"So, Willow, what do you think of our offer? You'll be one of our little family." As she spoke, Buffy ran her fingers through the girl's red-hair, as if the action would calm the girl down. "You'd have siblings, plus parents that actually care about you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want me?" Hearing the Witch's response, Buffy smiled.

"Oh, silly girl. I want you to be close to me. After all, all of that power that's just wrapped up inside you, imagine what you would be possible of."

"But I don't even know what power you keep talking about." As she spoke, Willow swore that she felt Tara's presence in her mind, but it quickly faded as she noticed it.

"But that can all be changed. There are numerous things that I'm sure Spike and Drusilla have learned over the years that could help you understand. Once Angelus comes back to us, I'm sure he would have things to teach as well."

"And this all involves me becoming a vampire?"

"Well, I don't think you could live for eternity if that didn't happen."

* * *

"I miss Daddy, Spikey. He's been gone for much too long."

"Dru, I think we're doing fine without him." His eyes still closed, Spike could feel Drusilla moving about from where she lay on top of him. "If he does come back, he'll only serve to make sure the Slayer is happy."

"But Mummy misses her Daddy. She wants him back. The halo around her head tells me things." The Sire answered, chuckling slightly as she twirled part of her own hair with her finger. "Things that I don't think Mummy would want me to know."

"Oh, and what would those be, love?" Smiling, Drusilla opened her mouth to answer, but as she felt something sharp piece her back and make its way into her heart, she stopped and looked down at her childe, surprise filling out her pupils.

"Dru?" As his sire disappeared into a pile of dust, Spike looked up into the waiting eyes of the other Slayer that Buffy had warned him about.

"Guess you don't need to know." She said, twirling the stake while she grinned sarcastically at him. As the rage inside of him boiled and quickly overtook every one of his senses, Spike was on his feet in a moment, his hands shooting out for the Slayer. Actually taken off-guard, Faith felt the vampire's fists slam into both her mid-section and her wrist, causing her stake to be sent flying across the room. Unable to block the attack, she felt the vampire's fist connect with the side of her face, the impact nearly sending her to the floor. Still reeling from the punch, Faith found herself looking up at the ceiling as Spike kicked her, his boot landing firmly on her stomach. As the concrete floor connected with her back, she almost hissed as the pain in her stomach began to become overwhelming.

"Having fun, Slayer?" He asked, his yellow eyes staring down at her with a mix of anger and bloodlust lining every inch of his face. Reaching down, her grabbed the collar of her jacket and promptly threw her across the room, her body eventually connecting with the opposite wall. The blow again sent waves of pain souring through her already sore body, but she nevertheless got back onto her feet, trying her best to shake the blow off.

Seeing Spike charging towards her, she was barely able to raise her arms in order to block the vampire's attacks. As he continued to throw punches at her, the Slayer let herself be pushed back, aware of what was around her. There were a few things that she could use as substitute weapons should it come down to a desperate situation.

"What's the matter, Spike? I take it you're mad that I just destroyed the only thing you had left to a family?" As she taunted the vampire, Faith instantly saw the opening he had left in his attack patterns, and exploited it, the kick sending Spike away from her, and giving her enough time to properly catch her breath.

"Trust me, Slayer, I'm going to enjoy spilling your blood all over this place." As he got back onto his feet, Spike cracked his neck in a gesture of just warming up.

"Who said I was going to give you the chance?"

* * *

As she heard the first sounds of a struggle coming from deeper inside the house, Buffy turned her attention away from her captive and listened. There were the tell-tale signs of punches and kicks being thrown, and accompanying them was the destruction of numerous objects that were no doubt scattered around the room. Just as a window shattered, she heard the door behind her open, the wooden object slamming against the wall opposing it. As she felt a familiar presence enter the room, she smiled, turning to find her sire standing behind her.

"Hello, Angel. Welcome home." She said, the smile never once leaving her face as she spoke. As he stared back at her, Angel for a moment doubted being here, even knowing that all he had to do was keep the demon inside of her busy long enough for Tara to establish the link with Willow. After that, Buffy's soul would be back in control, and they could deal with anything that came after.

He hoped.

"Buffy…" He started, his voice dying out as she interrupted him, her hands still on Willow's shoulders. There was no sign that she had any intention to harm the Witch at the moment, but knowing the demonic nature of the entity in control of her body, that could all change within a matter of moments.

"Hello to you too. Seems a little rude not to reply to your mate's greeting."

"Let her go. This is between you and me, she hasn't done anything to deserve your wrath."

"Oh, is that what you think?" She replied, her fingers wrapping around the Witch's throat in the process. "I seem to recall that she cast a spell on you that restored your soul. I think that's enough grounds to think she's involved in this."

"Angel…" As the name escaped from her lips, Willow fell silent once Buffy's fingers wrapped tighter around her throat, barely allowing enough air to enter into her lungs.

"_Sssshhh_, the adults are talking right now."

"Buffy, there's a part of you in there that doesn't want to hurt her. Part of you is still that seventeen year old girl that's the Slayer."

"Still talking to that pesky soul? Sorry, she's not home right now, but can I take a message?" _I'm going to enjoy watching him hurt you._

"_Shut up."_

"Yeah, tell her I'm sorry." Reaching out, he grabbed one of the broadswords that lay on a nearby table, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of the blade. "Let's finish this."

"Seems like a fun idea. I know how much you like pain." As she let go of Willow's throat, Buffy easily caught the other broadsword as Angel threw it to her. Brandishing the weapon, she again smiled at her sire. "Let the games begin."

* * *

Again he lunged for her, this time missing her as she quickly threw herself out of the way. As she rolled across the floor, Faith almost smiled as the vampire connected with the wall, his fist almost going completely through the material. Almost instantly recovering from the attack, the vampire turned his eyes towards her, the Slayer being the sole object of his rage. Dru's ashes were still scattered over his clothing, and the very thought that his sire was now nothing more than specks on his shirt only made more rage boil inside of him.

He could hear the heart inside of her chest beating faster, the adrenaline no doubt cycling through her veins edging her on. The sound of her heart beating made his stomach long to have some of her blood in his system, the warmth and taste that accompanied the blood of a Slayer having been there twice before now. It was a taste that was completely unique.

"You know, I'm kinda liking see you angry. Angel didn't ever really tell me much about you."

"Oh, trust me, you haven't seen anything yet, pet." His fist flying out ahead of him, Spike almost growled with anger as his attack again missed its mark.

"Really, because I'm thinking I've seen all I need to." She continued to taunt him, a smile dancing on the edges of her lips. For a single moment, he wanted nothing more than to rip that smile off of her face. "Come on, show me some of the strength that vampires are known for…assuming you have the brains to back it up." His guard dropping for one moment, he was unable to block the punch the girl threw at him, the blow striking him directly on the chin. That blow was followed by another, and another, his body being pushed back more and more each time.

He had barely known the window was behind him until the sound of it breaking filled his ears, and his body was on nothing but air. There was a short drop to the ground, and as he hit it, he felt every bone in his body almost shatter. Looking up at the broken window, he saw the Slayer offer him a sarcastic salute, and then she disappear back into the building.

Picking himself up off the ground, he briefly considered going after her, but knew that there would be plenty of other opportunities. The Slayer wouldn't risk leaving the Hellmouth unguarded, and he had an eternity of time to spend trying to kill her.

There would be other nights.

* * *

Again and again their swords clashed against each other, the metal blades emitting the occasional spark as they met with great force behind each blow. Much of the room around them had been destroyed as a result of their battle, and as she ducked underneath her sire's attack, Buffy moved with an inhuman speed as she swung the sword towards him. Both her and Angel's bodies were covered with torn clothing where blood seeped out from already closed cuts, the smell of the liquid only fueling the two vampire's senses as they fought.

Seated across the room, Willow could only watch as the two vampires fought, the tide of the battle changing time and time again without end. Her mind was barely conscious after the days of torture that the demon inside Buffy had inflicted on her. Closing her eyes, she so desperately wanted to give in to her body's need for rest.

"_Willow?" _Tara's voice sprang out in her mind, the sound of it bringing her back from the very edge of unconsciousness.

"T-Tara?" She said, her voice escaping from her lips as nothing more than a whisper. Looking through her blurred vision, she could see no-one else around her in the room.

"_Willow, can you hear me?" _

"Yes…"

"_Listen to me. I'm talking to you through magick. We're going to do the spell again, I'm not powerful enough to do it by myself. You need to say the spell with me."_

"I don't…think…I can…"

"_Willow, you _can_ and you _will._ If you don't, Angel and Buffy will fight until one of them dies."_

"Ok, I'll try." Closing her eyes for a moment, Willow fought back her body's need for sleep and waited for Tara to repeat the spell inside her head.

"_Hecate, again heed my call."_

"Hecate, again heed my call." The red-head repeated, pouring any available strength into her voice.

"_Help us prevent the world's fall."_

"Help us prevent the world's fall." As the words left her lips, Willow felt the magicks begin to pour into her system, giving her the added strength she need to repeat the spell. Continuing to speak, she and Tara's voices again become simultaneous, the sound of their voices ringing out through the room.

"_Speak to the soul that lies within_

_Take the power from its demonic twin_

_Make her stronger than before_

_And make her pure once more!"_

* * *

As the blade sank into his chest, Angel felt nothing but pain erupt inside him. The sword had just barely missed puncturing his heart, but it was only a small victory.

"Does that hurt?" Buffy asked, her yellow eyes focused on the red blood pouring out of her sire's chest. Her senses were filled once again with the smell of fresh blood, and despite the endless amount of cuts that covered her own body, she pulled the blade out with the full strength of her body behind it.

"_Hardly."_ He answered, stumbling back as he tried to refocus his attention on the sword he still held tightly in his hand.

"Good to know that you can still take all that I dish out" Raising the blood-stained blade above her head, Buffy watched as her sire stood completely still, his attention turned towards the other room where Willow was still tied to the chair. Perking her own ears to the quiet voice echoing out of the room, she only managed to catch the last few words of what was being said before they finally stopped.

"I guess Willow's chanting her spells again. I'll have to talk to her about tha-." She started before she suddenly stopped mid-sentence, the sword falling out of her hand and hitting the floor with a loud clang. His full attention on his childe, Angel watched as the blood-lust in her yellow eyes began to flicker and change. As she covered her face with her hands, it changed back to that of its human guise. A primitive growl escaped from her lips, and as her body gave one last shake, she full collapsed onto the ground, her body completely and utterly still.

Rushing over to her side, Angel gathered her into his arms and looked down at her still body. Her eyes still closed, Buffy's body still refused to move. As he moved a few strands of her blonde hair out of her eyes, Angel's gaze never once left the girl's face. As moments turned into minutes, he waited for a sign of life, any sign, from her. Shaking her head slightly, she finally stirred, and as she opened her eyes, she looked up at him, her face awash with emotions.

"Angel?" She asked, moving her head slightly as if to know that she was in control of her body once again.

"Buffy…"

"I…I…" As tears began to form at the cracks of her eyes, she closed them and pressed her head against his body, her hands wrapping around his chest. Hearing nothing more from her but sobs, Angel simply held onto her, even as he heard Faith enter the room, the door effectively falling off its hinges as she kicked it down. Nothing else around him mattered as much as holding onto the girl that continued to cry into his shirt, her hands clutching at him as if he were going to leave.

He thought he heard her trying to apologize, the words muffled due to the sobs escaping from her body, but he simply shushed her, and continued to hold her, his mind finally at ease for a single fleeting moment.


	19. Wounds

**Wow, this is officially the longest Buffy fanfic I've ever written. It's almost done, but I do plan on writing a sequel to this, considering the ending that I have planned. So never fear, the story will be continued after this one is finished. :D**

**As usual, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other Buffyverse characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. The WB and UPN also have rights involving the show, and I thank them for airing the show all those years ago.**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

As he flicked the light switch, the apartment was instantly cleansed of the shadows that had long taken hold over the room. Looking around, Angel was pleasantly surprised to see that vandals or the homeless hadn't broken into the place and taken anything. Instead, everything was exactly where it had been left, the same night and morning after he had lost his soul, and the entire nightmare had begun. It was almost like a ghost, haunting them with a scene that they had already played through before.

"Buffy?" He asked, aware that she had barely said a single word to him since her soul's return at the mansion. Shaking her head slightly, she kept her back to him, her arms wrapped around her body as if she were cold.

"What?" She finally replied, her eyes refusing to meet his as she walked further into the apartment.

"I'm not going to pretend like you're ok, but you need to get some rest. We're going to deal with everything, but it won't do either of us any good if you aren't at full strength."

"That's the problem, isn't it? I'm just a thing to be dealt with, a problem that just needs to be swept under the rug."

"Buffy." He said, making his way over to her and making her turn around to face him. "This isn't your fault. If it's anyone's, it's _mine._ I was the one who made you like this."

"Not you, _Angelus."_ She answered, keeping her eyes on the floor beneath her feet. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, no matter how much warmth or love they had behind them. She didn't deserve any of it, after all that she had done.

"We're the same thing, Buffy. He's always there, taunting and edging me on. I should have told you earlier, maybe then it could have all been stopped."

"I couldn't have killed you." She said, finally looking up at him, but her gaze stopping just short of his chin. "I tried so hard to convince myself otherwise, but I couldn't do it." His hands still resting on her shoulders, he pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her body in a hug as he saw that she was only moments away from starting to cry once more.

"It's alright, it's in the past." He said, holding the back of her head in his hand, his fingers gently stroking her blonde hair. A few times her body trembled underneath him, but she refused to let anymore tears fall down her still wet cheeks. They stood there, their bodies refusing to move for a few moments before she looked up at him.

"It's never going to go away, is it?" She asked, silently referring to the grief that had taken hold of her still heart. As he looked down into her glassy eyes, Angel shook his head slightly.

"I'm still waiting for the day that it does." Looking away, Buffy wiped her eyes using the back of her sleeve. The bed in the corner of the apartment still had the same sheets that had been there for close to three or four months now, but they still seemed surprisingly clean. Considering the condition that the rest of the apartment was currently in, Angel saw no reason to doubt that there was anything on them besides a thin layer of dust.

Catching where his eyes had laid their gaze, Buffy slowly started to walk towards it, her steps slow and full of thought. Angel made no move to stop her, and instead shadowed her, unsure of what to say. As she sat down onto the red-sheets, she slipped out of her shoes and pulled her knees to her chest, laying her head down on top of them in the process. Continuing to watch her for a few short moments, Angel headed towards the bathroom, again finding everything exactly where it had last been left.

"_He hates us. He hides it so well, but it's there, hidden so low beneath the surface." _

"No, he doesn't." She said, her voice escaping as nothing more than a barely audible whisper.

"_You can deny it all you want. In time, he will remember what he made us into, and he will leave you, just as he has done to women throughout the centuries."_

"Buffy." As she heard him say her name, she looked up, her mind shaken out of what the demon inside her had been saying.

"What?" The word had no emotion behind it as she spoke, her eyes seemingly having taken on a lifeless quality to them.

"You're still bleeding." Gesturing to the numerous wounds that covered the upper half of her body, Angel held up the wet wash-cloth he had in his hand. "Just thought I'd save you the effort, and get the blood off of you."

"I'm fine." Even as the word left her lips, she moved down slightly in order to let him sit down beside her.

"Just let me help you. Most of my wounds have already healed." Simply nodding her response, she pulled her sweater up in order to let him properly see the rest of her wounds. Part of her knew that the wounds should have healed by themselves, but considering that she hadn't fed on anything for almost an entire day, she wondered if she still even had her Slayer powers, considering that she was, for all intents and purposes, _dead_. Since it had been longer than the short minute that she had been dead before, it was possible that whatever magick that had bestowed them upon her had taken them back.

Without saying another word, he carefully wrung the wash-cloth out into the small bowl he had brought with him. As the water from the cloth splashed into the bowl, the sound of it echoed throughout the entire apartment.

"It's because I need to feed, isn't it?" She finally asked, hissing as the cold cloth met the first unclosed wound on her back. Pausing in order to make sure that he wouldn't hurt her anymore, he continued to clean the wound once he saw her body return to its normal posture.

"I have blood here, or I should. If not, I can get someone to go get some."

"You can go get it, I'll be fine here by myself." She answered, twisting her neck in order to look at him.

"No, I don't want to leave you." Hearing his response, she smiled, the gesture almost instantly replaced with pain as the wash-cloth made its way over another unclosed wound.

"What does it feel like? To feed on a bag?" She asked, already regretting the question before it was even fully off of her tongue. "I already know what it's like to feed on a human."

"Was…was it true that you felt everything the Demon did?" She nodded, any other thoughts about the matter remaining locked inside her head. As he continued to clean her wounds, he didn't press the subject any further. The emotions that she was trying to keep inside her were almost pouring out of her in waves, with Angel being able to pick up on them through pure instinct.

"That should be it." He finally said, dropping the wash-cloth into the bowl. As she pulled the sweater completely off of her body, Buffy kept her back turned to her sire.

"Can I have one of your shirts? Mine's pretty much ruined." She said, knowing that he was staring at the way her blonde hair was flowing down her shoulders and the upper portion of her back. It wasn't particularly washed, and she knew that eventually she'd have to use the shower that lay almost entirely unused in the bathroom.

"Yeah…sure." He said, getting up off of the bed and opening the dresser that lay in the far corner of the room. As he pulled out one of his black-shirts, again, a thin layer of dust covering it, he came back to her and handed the article of clothing to her.

"Sorry I don't have anything else here. I'll have to get Giles or someone else to bring the rest of your things over."

"Ok." She quietly replied, wrapping the shirt around her frame, the black color effectively overtaking her skin. Looking down at her, Angel couldn't help but think of her as the same seventeen year old girl he had known since her arrival in Sunnydale. But inside, he knew that she was anything but the same person.

"You should probably get some sleep. After everything, you could use it." He said, his gaze never once flinching even as she looked up at him.

"I…You…Could you just hold me?" She asked, looking up at him with eyes that held a familiar amount of hurt, one that he was sure she had seen from him on a number of occasions. Again, he could tell that she was only moments away from crying, the grief from what the demon had done still hitting her in full-force. Simply nodding his response, Angel laid down on the bed beside her, and as she laid her head against the pillow, he wrapped his arm around her.

Closing her eyes, Buffy tried to push all the memories of what had happened out of her mind, and tried her best to ignore the voice still sounding out inside her head.

"_Can you even consider what will happen when I get back in control?"_

"_Shut up."_

* * *

The almost boiling hot water continued to pour out of the shower head, the sensation of actually feeling warmth, if only for a fleeting moment, made her feel like a normal human being again. Her eyes closed, and her back pressed against the wall behind her, Buffy could still hear every single sound that made its way through the apartment, from Angel's boots scuffing against the floor to the sound of the microwave beeping at its completion. So when the knock on the door came softly echoing through the room, she was instantly aware of it.

"Giles." Angel's voice picked up where the knocking had left off. Opening her eyes, Buffy's gaze turned towards the slightly ajar door to the bathroom, her ears still picking up on the sound of the conversation going on outside.

"How is she?" Past the sound of the running water, she heard Giles voice making its way through the air, the sound of his voice unmistakable.

"What do you think? She's pretty shaken up, but she'll get through it."

"She is indeed stronger than she would appear."

"You don't have to tell me."

"I, um, I brought over the things you requested. Tara and Xander are over at the house boxing up the rest of her things. I'll need…her signature to sign over the house to us." As her former Watcher finished speaking, the sound of a box being handed over to someone else accompanied the end of his sentence.

"Thanks, I would have gone and gotten them myself, but I…" Accepting the box, the vampire's words trailed off.

"But you wanted to be with her. Perfectly understandable." There was an awkward silence that followed before Giles sighed, the action no doubt being followed by the man cleaning his glasses. "I…I don't know if I'll ever be completely capable of forgiving your…other shelf, but I…I shall be willing to try."

"You don't have to, I deserve as much hatred as I can receive."

"Because he is always there, isn't he? Constantly at the back of your mind, like some hidden shadow?"

"He's a part of me that just doesn't go away, no matter how much I wish he would. He's always there, taunting, mocking, always looking for a way to take control again." Again, there was an uncomfortable silence before Giles again broke the chain of it.

"I did more research during my…recovery, and discovered more on the accounts of the Slayers who have been turned in the past centuries." If her heart had still been beating, Buffy was sure that it would have stopped completely.

"And?"

"Most of the accounts end with the termination of said Slayer in order to protect the line."

"Giles…" There was a slight protective tone to Angel's voice as he spoke, showing that he wouldn't accept her…_termination._

"I'm not quite finished just yet. All of the Watchers who reported these instances were said to be blindly loyal to the Council, going so far as to blindly throw away their Slayer's life. I'm not that kind of man."

"You're not going to report this to the Council?"

"No, I…I couldn't bring myself to do it. She's too amazing a girl to simply have the Council send its death dealers to extinguish her soul from the face of this Earth." The Watcher answered, the words threatening to bring the tears back to Buffy's already wet eyes.

"We can't stay here, Giles. I can't have her seeing every single shred of pain and destruction that demon caused. It's more than I possibly think she could take."

"And where exactly would you go?"

"I haven't quite figured that out yet."

* * *

As she continued to stare at the wall, Buffy felt nothing but the cold inside of her own skin. Tucked up against her back, Angel lay asleep, his arm still wrapped around her stomach just as she had asked him to do the night before. They had been in this position ever since she had left the shower and sorted out the things that Giles had brought her. Her eyes drifted to the night-stand, the bright color of a pink stuffed-animal greeting her. As she looked at the object, she almost smiled, remembering how long she had had Mr. Gordo in her possession. The memories brought her mind images of her mother, and as soon as the first one came to her, she promptly shut down that line of thought and focused on something else.

She had finally managed to swallow some of the blood that her system had so desperately been craving ever since she had regained full control of her body from the Demon. She had almost vomited when the first drop of it had landed on her tongue, but her stomach had almost instantly craved more of it, and after she had finally drank, the pangs that accompanied the hunger had ceased, if only for the time being. They would come again soon, she was sure of that. Angel had had to convince her to drink it, even as every muscle in her system had urged her to take the liquid. The part of her that still had shreds of humanity being utterly repulsed by the idea.

He had offered her some of his own, going so far as to cut open his palm in the process. Unable to stomach taking something from the blood bad he had brought to her, she had taken his palm and fed until the pangs had stopped. Once they had vanished, she had curled back up underneath the red-sheets and tried to get more sleep. It was her way of making the world disappear for a few hours, a way of not having to feel anything. It hurt just to think, because every thought and memory would lead back to what had happened over the short span of a few weeks. It was too painful to even properly think.

The more she thought about it, Sunnydale wasn't a welcome place for her anymore. No matter how many apocalypses she prevented, no matter how many vampires or demons she struck down in order to prevent death and despair, it would never fill the void that the demon had ripped into existence.

"_But it was so beautiful done, don't you think?"_

"_Shut up."_

"_Your words slay me. You can't stop me, no matter how hard you try to push me away, I'll always be in your mind, waiting for that moment when you want to give up control and let me take over. It'll come, and when it does, I'll be ready."_

"_That'll never happen. I'll die before I let you take control of my body again."_

"_But you felt so at peace for that single moment when you died, didn't you? It was like going to sleep. All the pain, the fear, the hurt, the responsibility, it was all gone and there was simply happiness. But then you came back, that feeling disappeared, and you willingly gave control to me."_

"_I didn't…I couldn't."_

"_Face it, you wanted to have me come out and do some damage. No matter how many times you tried to tell me no, a part of you wanted to say yes."_

"_Shut up, just shut up."_

"_Get feisty with me all you want, Slayer, I'm not going anywhere. I'm still here, inside your mind, like a little dirty thought or image you can't bury no matter how hard you try." _Closing her eyes, Buffy used all of her mental strength inside of her exhausted body, and almost smiled when she heard the demon's voice began to fade slightly. It was still there, but its volume had dropped off, becoming only a whisper on the edge of hearing.


	20. Broken

**Hey guys! This story has finally hit over _100_ reviews! I'm so happy right now, this is the first time the number of reviews that one of my stories has gotten has reached over 59 or 60, or any number that comes after it. Words cannot express my joy and appreciation for all those who left their thoughts on the chapters. You guys and gals are beyond awesome! Thank you for constantly encouraging me to write more to this story :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other Buffyverse characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. The WB and UPN also have rights involving the show.**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

_"Hey, Deadboy, open up!"_ As the knocking on the door continued to echo throughout the room, Angel could feel Buffy stirring underneath his grip, her body instinctively burying itself deeper into the sheets as the sound tried to vanquish her from the dream she was still in.

"Angel, there's someone at the door." She said, her head digging itself deeper into the pillow beneath her, her body still in a half-asleep state. Pushing himself off the bed and back onto his feet, Angel made his way across the room, the vampire pulling his shirt back on as he walked towards the source of the knocking. All the while, whoever was behind the door itself refused to cease their knocking, the sound of it gradually growing more intense. As he finally reached the door, the vampire almost threw the thing open in order to make the sound disappear.

"So, the dead _can_ hear after all." Xander's voice greeted him, his facial expression never once changing from its mix of anger and disgust. Behind him, Willow and Tara silently held the boxes they had carried from the car, trying to avoid looking the vampire in the face.

"_Be quiet_, she's still asleep." Angel said, pulling the door to a close behind him.

"How is she? Besides being…_dead_." The red-headed Witch asked, making the vampire notice the white bandage she wore on her cheek in order to cover one of the wounds that the demon had inflicted on her.

"What do you think?" The vampire replied, his tone softening when he realized how harsh he sounded. "She's holding up, but I can tell she's blaming herself for everything that's happened."

"_Why_? The Demon did all of those things, not her."

"She doesn't believe that, it's the grief she's feeling for her mother and for…Oz." As he said the boy's name, Willow's face instantly changed, and Angel knew that she still was dealing with her feelings for her boyfriend's death. "I felt the same thing when I first got my soul back. She has to work these things out within herself."

"Alright, look, I know you're acting like you're not all broken up, but you can't fool me." Xander said, taking a step towards the vampire as he set his box down on the ground. "You're taking care of her because you can't deal with the fact that you and your Hyde side did this to her. No-one else turned her into a blood-sucker like you." The sentence had no sooner left his lips before he felt the vampire's hand wrap tightly around his throat. Struggling to breathe, the wall behind him made sharp contact with his back, the action sending waves of pain souring through his system for a moment.

"Maybe you didn't get the message, but I'm taking care of her because I_ love_ her. Either you can accept that and move on, or you can stay away from her. She doesn't need _anyone_ with a hostile attitude towards what she is now. _Understand_?"

"Angel…" Willow started, almost stumbling over her own words as the vampire turned his gaze onto her. "He doesn't mean that, he's upset. We all are."

"Listen, Harris, I don't _care_ what you think you could have done. There are no 'What ifs' in this scenario. She's a vampire, and we have to deal with it. If you can't handle it, then I want you to stay away."

"Alright…" He managed to spit out, his lungs screaming for air as the vampire continued to hold him by the throat. Upon hearing the teenager's reaction, Angel released his grip, fighting back the urge to smile as the boy fell to the ground. For months, he had dealt with the boy's taunting and had ignored it, but when he had dragged Buffy into the insult, it had been the final straw.

"Willow, if you want to see her, come back later. I want her to get as much rest as possible."

"You're going to take her away, aren't you?" She asked, completely ignoring the vampire's statement. "Because you don't want to hurt her anymore."

"Could you stand putting her through seeing places where she spilled blood or killed someone? To make her live within the same borders that she died and was turned into the same thing that I am?" He asked her, the emotion on his face softening just a little bit. "I won't put her through that. After all she's done, she _deserves_ better than that."

"It's a-also b-b-because you're m-mated to her, r-right?" Tara inquired, keeping her eyes from meeting the vampire.

"Y…Yes. I marked her, so we are mated to each other. Ancient vampire custom."

"Kinda like how the cave-men used to beat their wife over the head with a club?" Upon hearing the boy's statement, Angel merely looked at him, causing the teenager to back off.

"Did…did she accept it?"

"She told me she loved me. Other than that, I don't know." His gaze falling to the ground, the vampire turned back towards the door. "It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't."

"But you…you saved her. You kept trying to break through to her soul, even when the demon had me captive. I didn't sit there and willingly take these for nothing." As she pointed to the scars on her cheek, she also pulled up her sleeve, showing him the bite mark on her wrist. "She offered to make me like her."

"She did _what?!"_ Xander said, his eyes lighting up with shock as he saw the scar that covered his oldest friend's wrist.

"She bit me, trying to get my attention and keep me from blacking out. She said something about how she could make all the pain go away."

"And you didn't take her up on it."

"No. I knew what would happen if I died, and let myself become a vampire. I wouldn't put you guys through that. Having Buffy become one is already more than enough."

"A weaker person would have taken that opportunity to make the pain stop." Angel remarked, having stopped in his tracks just in front of the door. "You were brave to keep letting her torture you."

"It wasn't Buffy, it was the Demon inside her. That's what I kept telling myself, because I knew that her Soul wouldn't hurt me like that."

"What you think doesn't matter." The words sounded harsh, but a chord of truth rang through them. "Buffy's blaming herself, she won't say it out loud, but I can sense it. She feels like we should have killed her."

"But it wasn't her fault!"

"She doesn't understand that. Something's happening to her, I…I'm sure that the Demon is still inside her, taunting her, just like what Angelus does to me."

"So you're saying that even though her soul is back in control, Buffy's Demon is still…_talking_ to her?" As she finished her sentence, Willow's eyes never once lost their confused and scared look.

"It'll always be there, there's no way the two can exist without the other. They keep each other in check."

"The Light has to be weighted with the Darkness."

"They can't exist without one another. If one is removed from the mix, the scale is upturned, and things go wrong. There has to be a constant conflict within a person, otherwise they die a little inside."

"So you're saying that there's nothing we can do about this, we can't do anything to help her?" Xander said, ignoring the look the vampire shot him as he spoke.

"No, we j-just have to h-h-help her f-find her p-place in the w-w-world."

"No, we can't." Willow said, looking at the blonde standing beside her. "She needs to do this on her own. That's why Angel wants to leave. If we stay around and try to help her, we'll only be another reminder of the pain the Demon inside of her caused."

"So you're saying we should just let her go, ignore her, and forget what happened?!"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." As a flash of anger flew through the red-head's eyes, she slowly walked towards the other teenager. "You of all people should know what I'm trying to say. What do you think Buffy is going to remember when she sees the scars on my arms, or the scratches on my cheek? Or when she looks at the porch of her house? This entire town is a reminder of what that Demon did to all of us."

"And that's why we can't stay." Angel said, opening the door and walking inside, gesturing for the teenagers to bring the boxes inside the apartment.

* * *

She could hear three heart-beats echoing through the entire room, their rhythm steady as the blood in their systems continued to flow through their veins. The sound of it made her stomach flip, and the hunger almost instantly returned, the pangs spiking through her stomach. She had heard the voices outside, the words they said muffled dramatically considering the walls and door that separated her ears from the outside world, but she had managed to follow the very bare-bones of the conversation.

She had heard Angel slam Xander's body against the walls outside, had felt the threads of anger that lay in her sire and mate's mind. It seemed so strange to know that they were even closer now than they had been before, but at the same time, they were so far away. She could see the blame he wore on his face every time he looked at her. But she couldn't share in that blame, it had been _Angelus_, the Demon inside of her Angel that made her like this. The Soul inside him deserved no blame. He had come to save her, and had nearly died in the effort.

And what about her? She felt dead, both inside and out. The warmth that she had grown so accustomed to over her entire life was gone, replaced with cold that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was even worse than the cold she had felt on that night, with the rain pouring down on her, soaking her clothes and skin to the bones underneath her. Just knowing that the heart inside her chest would never beat again only drove home the fact that she wasn't the same girl she had been only a few weeks before. The Slayer was truly dead now, just like the beings that she had fought time and time again.

_Irony._

The sound of the boxes being set down on the floor by the door almost made her open her eyes to see the friends she still had, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. To look upon Willow's face and to see the scars from the hours of torture the Demon had inflicted on her would have been enough to make her want the Earth to swallow her whole. Anything would be better than seeing her friends and the hurt she had caused for them. Anything, even _dying_ again.

"Can…can I please talk to her?" Willow's voice sounded tired, the result of not enough sleep over the past few weeks. Angel's voice didn't answer her, but she heard the red-head stepping towards her, signaling that her sire had only answered her friend with a nod. The steps came to a stop at the side of her bed, and as she felt her friend's touch across her hair, she almost flinched, knowing inside her that she didn't deserve to be touched by someone like this, not with love and care. Part of her wanted Willow to say the words of some ancient spell, and summon the magicks to kill her, to let her be at _peace_.

"Buffy?" She heard the girl's voice say, the tone of the words suggesting that she almost knew that the vampire was awake. Unable to stop the sound of from leaving her lips, Buffy whimpered slightly, the sound of it again making the vampire want to disappear.

"_Go on, open your eyes, be a plaything for the little Witch." _

"Buffy? Hey, it's ok, it's me."

"Please, go away." Pushing herself towards the wall, the vampire hoped that her friend would understand what she was feeling, and would let her be. Instead, she felt more weight being pushed down onto the mattress. Her eyes still closed, the vampire felt the wall pressing up against her back.

"_Open your damned eyes, I want to see the scars the little bitch has on her face!"_

"Buffy, it's me, Willow. Please, just look at me." As if the words had been a command, Willow saw her friend open her eyes, tears already beginning to form along the edges of them. Without any further warning, she threw herself into the red-head's arms, the tears finally escaping from their prison as they flowed down her cheeks.

"_Such pretty, pretty scars. We should have gave her more."_

"I'msorry, I'msorry, I'msorry." She repeated over and over again, the tears she was crying starting to soak into Willow's shirt. Looking down at her friend, the red-headed Witch hesitated for a moment as she felt the vampire clutching at the back of her shirt as if the girl were her anchor in the world. _"_Ohgod, I'msorry, I'msosorry…"

"Buffy, it's alright, I forgive you."

"Iwasn'tstrongenoughtomakeitallstop ." The vampire managed to force out between her sobs, the words almost being lost on the girl whose shoulder she was crying out into.

"Sssshhh, it's alright." Any other words remaining locked inside her throat, Willow simply held onto her friend and let her continue to cry, the tears already starting to work their way down to the bone.

* * *

"This is how it's always going to be from now on, isn't it?" She asked, slowly sipping at the warm cup of blood she held with both of her hands. Looking up from his own cup, Angel noticed the way she was looking at him, with a gaze that was filled with so many questions that some part of her didn't want to know the answer to.

"How what's going to be like?"

"Our lives." She answered, noticing how much the cup she held in her hands was shaking. "Where do we go from here? We can't go back to what we had before, when I was just some dumb, innocent teenager. I've killed humans, I've had blood spilled on my hands."

"Buffy…" He started before she nearly slammed the cup down onto the table, the object nearly shattering from the amount of force she had put behind the motion. Over the course of the past week, she had regained much of her strength that she had had before her siring, but it was clear that the Slayer powers she had had before were almost effectively gone now, considering that she was without a doubt dead now, and there would be no coming back from that.

"Don't try to sugar coat any of this for me, I'm dead, _D. E. A. D_. Do you understand that?! Trying to protect me from this isn't going to make it all just go away." She nearly screamed, her voice threatening to break. "I want to know exactly where you think we can go where this guilt won't follow me."

"I don't know." He answered, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "I wanted you to have a hand in deciding that."

"You think I have a clue where to go?" She replied, her voice beginning to calm down, but her eyes still held that anger perfectly. "It's hard to look at me, isn't it?"

"What?" That single question actually managed to catch him off-guard. Looking back at him, Buffy swore that she almost felt her face change into its vampire form, but she managed to keep the change from taking over her face.

"It's hard to look at me, because of what Angelus made me into. You can't forgive yourself for something that he did."

"We're the same thing, Buffy. Every single thing that makes up him is inside me, we can't exist without each other, as much as I would like to."

"But you're different at the same time, aren't you? It's just like me and whatever the hell is inside me."

"_Oh, I'm so insulted. Don't even give me a name."_

"You can't take pleasure in the pain he's caused, all the deaths he's been the cause of, and you can't accept that he was the one to kill me."

"Yes." The answer slid out of his lips without hardly any effort, showing that he had only managed to keep the word inside him for so long now.

"Then just stop. You're not him, just the same as I'm not the Demon inside me. If I wanted you to blame yourself, I would have told you."

"Do you think it's that easy? To simply let everything go, just move on and forget like it never happened?"

"No, I don't." She answered, watching as he started to make his way around the table towards her. "How do you think I feel right now?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to?"

"If you want me to know."

"I feel like I'm _dead_. I'm cold and I know I'm never going to ever feel warm again." She said, her eyes dropping to the floor, as if she were ashamed to even put her feelings into words for him to hear. "I think about everything that happened when I wasn't in control, and it makes me want to run a stake through my heart. It_ hurts._ Everything just hurts."

"It'll never go away completely, but there'll be times you'll forget about it, if only for a moment, and you feel just a single moment of peace inside you that makes you remember that there's a reason you're still here." He said, coming to stand in front of her. He made no move to stop her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. She wasn't crying, and there was no sign that she would, and for the first time since she had returned, Angel saw that single teenager that she had been only a few months ago.

"Can you promise me that?"

"No." Silence flooded through the room for a split second, before the sound of her voice started to echo off of every corner.

"Angel?" She asked, looking up at him. "Will you lose your soul again if we…have…sex?"

"I don't know."

"But you're willing to try?"

"I don't know, if he takes over me again, I don't know what I'll do." As he tried to look away, she reached out and laid her fingers on his chin, effectively stopping the movement from happening.

"What…what if I use the other face?"

"I…" Before he could finish the sentence, her face changed into that of its true form, the guise of her human self momentarily gone from sight.

"It…it would take some getting used to, but I think I could manage."

"_Naughty, naughty girl. You know what will happen if he has that moment of perfect happiness, poof, no more soul!"_

"_SHUT UP!"_

"Buffy…" Moving her finger up, she pressed it down against his lips, stopping him from speaking.

"_Sssshhh_, no more talking." Pressing herself up against him, she removed her finger in order to kiss his lips. As she tried to deepen the kiss, she felt his lips pressing back against her own, his instincts seeking the same thing she was. As she moved her arms, she wrapped them around his neck, their lips never once separating from one another. Moments turned into minutes, and they finally began to move, the bed falling against her back as their lips finally broke the kiss.

"Buffy, are you sure about this?"

"What did I say about talking?" She answered, offering him a cocky smile before they resumed the kiss. As she ran her hand through his black hair, she moved her hands towards the front of his shirt, her fingers already undoing the buttons as they continued to deepen the kiss they shared. As the last button came undone, the black shirt was pushed off of his body and her fingers met the skin on his back. In time, she arched her own back slightly, allowing the loose shirt she wore around her chest to fall to the sheets just as Angel's shirt had. Breaking the kiss for a second time, he looked down at her, his brown eyes meeting her yellow ones.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Resuming the kiss as the words were still fresh on her lips, the two of them moved deeper into the bed, the red sheets seemingly swallowing them whole. Her hands again slipping from the back of her sire's head, Buffy wrapped her fingers around the edge of his pants. Looking up at him, it was her turn to break the kiss and smile.

"No turning back now."


	21. A Chance For Redemption

**Past the twenty-chapter mark! Again, this is the longest Buffy fanfic I've ever written. I'm planning on only adding one or two more chapters, but I will be writing a sequel to this story. If you want me to PM you when I started posting it, just say so when you leave a review.**

**Also, the sequence with Faith and Spike in Willy's Bar will lead into a short little novella I'm planning on writing, called "The Thrill Of The Hunt". So, keep your eyes peeled for it when I started posting it on here.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. The WB and UPN also have their own rights involving the airing of the show. **

* * *

**Chapter 21**

The smell of blood in the air was the first thing that reached her senses, her stomach almost taking control of her body as the hunger she felt began to come back to the forefront of her feelings. Opening her eyes, Buffy found herself alone in the bed, the red sheets still maintaining a rough outline of Angel's form. Her mind racing, she remembered the sensations that she had felt in every inch of her skin the night before. The only question that broke through all of the memories and sensations was whether or not the 'brake' for the curse had been successful. If Angelus had returned…

Pushing herself off the bed, she simultaneously wrapped the red-sheets around her body, unsure of what she would encounter within the four walls that surrounded her. Images of what Angelus had done with her body while the Demon had still been in control of it came flooding back into her immediate thoughts, each memory more vivid than the one preceding it.

As a full, clear sight of the kitchen of the room came into view, she saw the back of her sire standing as he waited for the microwave to cease its circuit, the cup inside obviously filled with blood. He heard her coming, and as she stopped, she watched as his eyes trailed along her body before reaching her face.

"Angel?" She asked, saying the name with a slight hint of noticeable dread in her voice. Every single moment she waited for his answer seemed like an eternity.

"I'm still here." He said, offering her a hesitant smile in case she didn't properly understand him. As she heard his response, Buffy nearly ran headlong towards him in joy, the sheets around her body almost falling off entirely. Wrapping her arms around his chest, she smiled up at him.

"It worked."

* * *

As she stumbled into Willy's bar, Faith knew that every single set of eyes within the entire place were beginning to turn towards her. She didn't care in the slightest bit, and in a way, she enjoyed the attention. It reminded her that she held a certain amount of power over every single thing in here. Not-one of them would even so much as grin at the idea of attacking her. It was part of the way she carried herself. She had Power, and they didn't.

"Ah, you must be the new Slayer. Words gotten around about how you might be coming around." The bartender said, continuing to wipe a glass down with a rag that had no doubt seen better days. _Reminder to self, ask for a clean glass._

"Who wants to know?" She answered, turning her attention towards the numerous assorted 'drinks' behind the man. Half of them seemed to be filled with liquids that even she would have to think twice about before taking a swig.

"Guess you haven't been in town long enough to get word of who I am." Setting the class down, the bartender reached across the bar and offered her his hand. "I'm Willy, owner of this fine establishment." Eying the man curiously, the Slayer nevertheless shook his hand, ignoring the slightly sticky feel the man's palm had.

"Something tells me that you don't really deal in human clientele. Must have to do with the entire Vamp hoard you got snugging around in the booth back there." Gesturing over her shoulder, Faith knew that the vampires behind her had heard what she had said, and were burning holes into her back with their yellow eyes.

"Not really. Best Demon bar this side of California."

"Tell me you've got something I can at least drink here." At the mere mention of conducting business, Willy's entire stance changed.

"Of course. I don't get many, but I have a few human clients. Seems those that are informed of this 'underworld' thing that Sunnydale has going on with the Hellmouth occasionally like to drink with the 'hoards of hell'." Reaching underneath the bar, Willy laid out a shot glass, which was quickly joined by a small bottle of whiskey. Eying the Slayer in front of him, he looked as if he were about to ask a question, but quickly swallowed it down without so much as beginning to voice it.

"Here ya go." As she gripped the class in both hands, Faith downed the entire content of the class in one gulp before she slammed the glass back down onto the bar-top. The sound of it echoed throughout the entire room, able to be heard over the sound of even the loudest demon within the walls.

"I also get the feeling there's something that you're not telling me."

"I don't know whatcha talking." Starting to turn away, Willy felt the girl's fist wrap around the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him back towards her.

"I think you do. See, in case you haven't heard, the big bad Angelus had his soul restored again. But he's not alone this time, cause you see, the whole reason I'm here is that he took B down with him. Seems the two of them are mated now. All the while, she gets forgiven for everything she's done, right down to stabbing me through my stomach."

"Sounds like the two of you aren't getting along."

"Willy, you have no idea." She said, releasing her grip on him in order to let him pour her another shot. "Takes a lot to thrust a knife through someone, ya know."

"Can't say that I do."

"Takes a hell of a lot more to suffer through the damn thing being lodged inside you." She said, pausing only to down the shot that lay in front of her. "Trust me, that was not one of the more fun trips I've taken, and there's been quite a few that have been almost as bad. But B…I don't get, she just gets a clean sweep because this Demon inside her just took control. Same for her sire, Angelus, Angel, all names for the same damn face."

"You realize all the things he's done over the centuries?" One of the Demons sitting only a few feet away said, his eyes never once leaving the bubbling green drink he held in his hand. "He's done things that others have only dreamed of."

"Nice to know that he's got a resident fan base that's not human." Faith mumbled, already downing the other shot Willy had placed in front of her. He had caught on quick, and he refilled the glass as quickly as she finished it. "Anyway, and I get the rough rap from Mr. Soul because I'm not in it to save his precious little Buffy. Where does he get off telling me what I should be feeling?"

"You realize he could snap your neck like the little twig that it truly is, and be done with you?" The Demon again spoke up, setting his glass down onto the bar, and actually turning to face her. "He has killed at least two Slayers through the ages, and he certainly will not mind adding another to his body count."

"Oh, but you didn't get the memo, he has a soul now. Can't go around killing people or else he starts feeling down and mopey about himself. And with the fact that he's carrying himself and little B now, I think he's got enough on his plate without having to worry about me. I mean, it's not like I'm gonna make a move on him, not like I want start being on the other team, but it gets to me, ya know?"

"I think we all understand what you're trying to get across, luv." The voice striking a chord inside her brain, Faith turned towards the new comer, her hand almost instantly flying to the stake inside her coat pocket as she saw Spike slowly walking towards her.

"You know, I don't think we've been properly introduced. Why don't you sit back down and I'll buy you a drink." He said, his hands still hidden inside the pockets of his duster. The stake still gripped in her hand, the Slayer nevertheless sat slowly back down into the stool, hearing the Demon behind her slowly backing away.

"Now, that's better. I think we can have a bit of civilized conversation before we make with the punches and blood spilling, don't you?"

"Trust me; I'm looking forward to finishing the job I started earlier." As he heard her response, Spike laughed, the sound of it nearly making Faith lose her posture.

"I could say the same. Only I've got something a bit more personal involved in this. You killed Dru, and as a result, I'm going to kill you."

* * *

"Anything else you need me to sign?" Buffy asked, avoiding looking Giles directly in the face. Just as it had with Willow, it hurt to look at her Watcher, the man still bearing the scars from the torture Angelus had inflicted on him. The torture that _she_ had suggested.

"_You loved talking about it, don't lie. It made you all happy to know that someone who couldn't stand you being with our mate was in pain."_

"_I wish I could gag you, you're starting to aggravate me." _

"_I'm always going to be here, deal with it."_

"No, I think that about covers all of the necessary preparations." He answered, oblivious to the conflict going on inside his former Slayer. "The house is under my name, and I'm sure that Tara and the others will make sure that it stays in perfect condition."

"Good." Part of her would rather forget about the events that had happened only weeks ago on the porch. Before she could stop herself, images of her mother dying in her arms flashed before her eyes, and she heard the Demon inside her begin to laugh.

"Buffy, is there anything else any of us can possible do?" He questioned, taking his glasses off for a moment and wiping them clean even though they looked particularly spotless.

"No, I'm fine. I'd just like to see…Mom's grave before I leave."

"It was a remarkably peaceful service, Buffy, I'm…I'm sure Joyce would have liked it."

"It seems right. I killed her, so I wasn't there." Buffy answered, looking up at the older man in front of her. "Nobody likes a murderer showing up to a funeral."

"Buffy, you are in no way a murderer." The man said, pushing his glasses back onto his face. "The Demon inside you had full control, and no matter what you may think otherwise, you were in no position to stop what occurred. Grief and pain can be powerful things, but they can also end a person. I know from personal experience."

"Someone you knew back in your Rebel Without A Cause phase?" She asked, reaching for the cup of blood that sat on the table only a few feet away. The taste of it was beginning to grow on her, and the more she drank of it, the more 'used' to it she was becoming.

"No, I'm that person." That caused her to meet his eyes, something she had been avoiding ever since he had walked into the apartment. "When…when Angelus killed Jenny…you saw the result of my actions. I nearly got myself bloody well killed. And it was all because I was only thinking about what I was feeling. Pain, grief, shock, anger. They all drove me."

"I remember." She said, the images from that night cycling through her brain at a rapid pace. She could still hear the words on the phone as she and Willow heard about Ms. Calendar's fate. The wound had healed somewhat, but the scar still remained.

"I look back on it now, and realize why I did such a fool-hardy thing, and yet, I understand why I felt the need to do it. It was emotion, Buffy, I didn't want to think, and as a result, I fell back onto the most basic emotions to control me."

"Is there a lesson to be learned here, Giles?"

"Don't let your emotions control how you think."

* * *

As they laid on the bed in the dark, Buffy and Angel were almost entirely silent. Neither of them were sleeping, but believed that the other was. Apart from the occasional shift in the way they were laying, the two of them avoided contact with the other, if for nothing else other than to give the other some peace. They both shared enough conflicting thoughts to prevent the peace of sleep from reaching their minds.

As she studied the lines on the walls, Buffy could still hear the Demon inside of her taunting her, the insults never once ceasing in their intensity. Every single word made her doubt herself, even with Giles' advice trying to combat the insults. Everything that she could come up with that contradicted the Demon's words were instantly struck down by something new that the other part of herself had come up with seemingly out of nowhere.

"_You're making this too easy. Show some backbone."_

"I could always ask Willow to find a way to make you shut up."

"_You really think that would stop me? That little Witch can't even turn a page with the scars we put on her." _ Images of the scars Willow had all over her body came flooding into her eyes as the Demon spoke, the memories of being so helpless to stop the Demon from hurting her friend even stronger than they had ever been before. _"Oh, did we bring all that hurt back?"_

"Stop."

"_Not a chance in hell. You should ask Angel about that, he almost brought Hell to the world, but we stopped him, didn't we? We paid in our blood."_

"It was stopped, that's all that matters."

"_Is it? Because look at everything we did afterwards. We killed Oz, Mom, and we nearly made that Witch one of us. Was it worth it, to save the world from the Hell that Acathla could have brought? From here, it looks like we had the same effect."_

* * *

As he watched her sleep, Angel couldn't help but feel the guilt sink back into his thoughts, every inch of the emotion swarming through his unbeating heart. She was truly dead now, suffering the same fate that he himself had struggled with for so long. Before, she had been so used to the fact that she would die before anyone else around her, but now the situation had been reversed. The only person that would remain after everyone had gone would be herself, and him.

"_Hurts doesn't it? To know that we made her like this." _From the deepest pits of his mind, he could hear Angelus' voice swarming up to him, the sound of it so clear and precise.

"You did this, not me. We're not the same thing."

"_Oh, lying to yourself now. That doesn't seem like something a protector would do. What was that big speech you made when you brought her here, that you and me are the same thing?"_

"She needed to be comforted."

"_And so you did that by lying. You're such a liar. You can't even lie to yourself, because I'm here, making sure you can't ever convince yourself that you're something other than what you are." _

* * *

"It won't stop." Turning his head, he could see that Buffy still wasn't facing him, her gaze still fixed on the wall across the room.

"What?" He asked, his mind already pushing Angelus back in order to properly hear what she was saying.

"It won't stop." She repeated, turning over in order to look him in the eyes. He could almost feel the emotions coming off of her, the childe not even bothering to try and hide them. "It won't stop talking to me."

"The Demon." He answered, his eyes locking onto hers as he spoke.

"It won't stop, it hurts." The tears she had been holding inside began to fall down her cheek, eventually making contact with the red sheets beneath them. "It keeps reminding me of everything it did, everyone it killed."

"Buffy, you can't let it do this to you. The more you let it affect you, the more it's going to keep gaining strength." Before he had even finished speaking, Angel felt Buffy begin to bury her head into his shoulder, the tears still running down her cheeks, but she managed to avoid sobbing.

"You know, he does have a point." Looking up from the childe he had pushed up against him, Angel could see a figure slowly walking through the door, the lock itself seemingly having had no effect on him. Raising her tear-stained eyes from Angel's shoulder, Buffy looked at the visitor, her mind almost instantly recognizing his voice.

"Whistler?"

"The one and only. You know, I kinda like the look you're going for here. It's like you're inside a crypt, but it's actually homey." The messenger said, looking around the room in an exaggerated manner. Pulling the red-sheets further up to cover her shoulders, Buffy looked at the man with questioning eyes.

"Ok, you mind explaining why you're here? I thought you skipped town, big apocalypse coming and all. You seemed pretty sure that you weren't going to stick around and watch the aftermath."

"You know sweetheart." Whistler started, noticing the slightly angry gaze Angel was giving him due to his choice of words. "I was going to, but then I heard something about a Slayer being turned by the Big Guy, and I was encouraged to stay."

"Something tells me it's because the Powers wanted you to tell me something." Angel interrupted, his gaze following the man as he crossed the room.

"Well, at least it looks like losing and regaining your soul didn't make you lose any of your brains." Taking a seat, the messenger crossed his leg over his knee. "And actually, it's a message for both of you."

"What?" Buffy said, pulling herself into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Seems that since you're the only other Souled Vampire in existence, the Powers decided to give you another job. Gotta say, they work faster than the unemployment agency."

"But why me? I mean, don't they already have Angel?"

"Did you not just hear the big explanation I did? They want you to help him. Could be something to do with the fact that the Big Guy sired a Slayer, something that's kinda rare when you look at the entire history of the world." Leaning back into a chair, Whistler waited for one of the two vampires to continue the conversation, having nothing else to say at the moment.

"And where exactly would this 'job' take us? We've agreed we're not staying in Sunnydale." Angel finally said, wrapping his arm around Buffy's shoulders as he pushed himself against the backboard of the bed.

"Seems like the Powers want you to go to Los Angeles. Something about a chance for redemption and all that. You've already heard the speech once before, as I seem to recall, you know, the whole 'champion' speech I gave you." Looking over at her sire, Buffy raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"'Champion speech'? You're going to explain this to me later." She said before she locked her voice back inside her throat. Turning his attention fully back on the messenger sitting only a few feet away from him, Angel looked the man straight in the eyes, leaving no room for the man to somehow avoid answering the question he was about to ask.

"Why don't you elaborate on the whole 'redemption' matter?"

"Considering that you've killed a few people by now, and the cute young blonde thing here has as well, it seems that by saving those in need, you could begin to make amends for the things you both did when the Demons were running free. There's a lot of lost people out there, some of them begging to be found, and others simply giving up hope of ever being seen again. They need champions, and the Powers decided that you two were perfect for the job."

"And how are we supposed to find these people, considering that they're all lost-y." Buffy said, again raising her eyebrows.

"They'll be someone there, waiting for you. The Powers will act through him, give him visions on where to find these people. You really think they would just leave you to your own inventions once you got there?"

"And how would we find this person? Just put out a 'Vampires seeking messenger for the Powers That Be' ad in the paper?" Buffy again inquired, pushing a few strands of her hair out of her eyes in the process.

"You know, you kinda put the whole idea of dumb blondes to shame." As the words left his lips, Whistler almost instantly saw the slightly angry look come over the vampire's face. "Take it easy, it was a compliment."

"Thanks." She sarcastically answered, preventing her face from changing into its true form.

"Trust me, you start going out and slaying the creatures of the night, you'll get his attention. He's a pretty perceptive guy when he's not drinking himself into a stupor. He'll find you, not the other way around."

"Do you at least have his name?" Angel asked, having remained silent for the past few minutes.

"Doyle."


	22. Goodbyes and a Broken Hallelujah

**And so we have reached the last chapter of the story. I'd really like to thank all of you guys and gals who reviewed and kept up with the story from the beginning. I was really skeptical about posting this story in its rewritten form because I wasn't sure how many people would actually be interested in reading it. I guess my fears were invalid, because at the moment, this story is the longest and most-reviewed on my profile. So for all of you that read from the beginning, this entire chapter is for all of you. :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other Buffyverse characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"Well, that's the last of it." Xander said, placing the last box into the trunk before slamming the lid shut on the car. As he turned to face the small group behind him, he could see the mixture of sorrow and anxiety that completed every other fact that stood all around him.

"Thanks." Buffy answered, offering him a hesitant smile as she returned to her feet. "Well, I guess this is it then."

"It'll take a few hours to reach L.A., are you sure that you have enough darkness to reach it? "Willow asked, her tone of voice barely able to conceal the emotions she felt through every inch of her heart.

"We're sure." As she came to a stop in front of her friend, Buffy wrapped her arms around the younger Witch's frame. "Goodbye, Willow."

"I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry." The red-head replied, the sentence betrayed by the tears already starting to slowly crawl down her cheeks. "Crying's bad."

"It's ok, Wills." Wiping the girl's tears away with her thumb, the vampire smiled. "I'll call." As she saw the girl's simple nod of understanding, Buffy moved on to where Giles was standing, the Watcher in the midst of cleaning his glasses with the bottom of his shirt.

"Giles?" She asked, almost chuckling as the older man stumbled over himself to push his glasses back into their usual place on his face. "Take care of them, ok?"

"Of course." As she hugged him, the vampire felt the man's grip on her back as he returned the gesture with pure emotion.

"And take care of yourself." As they finally broke the hug, Buffy saw Tara sitting on the curb, the shy blonde doing her best to comfort the crying red-head she held in her arms. Seeing the vampire approach, she looked up, part of her blonde hair covering her eyes.

"Tara?"

"Y-yes?"

"Angel told me what you did, what you helped Willow do. Thank you."

"Y-y-you're welcome." Smiling, the blonde-haired Witch simply nodded as Willow continued to quietly cry into the girl's shoulder.

"And so that would leave me, last as usual. Guess I should have grown used to it by now." Xander said, taking a few steps towards where the vampire was still standing.

"Goodbye, Xander." Holding open his arms, the teenager almost smiled as he felt the vampire's wrap her arms around his back. "I take it that Queen Cordy didn't want to come?"

"You could say that. She's not one for the good-bye scenes." Rolling her eyes, the vampire nevertheless smiled at the joke.

"Guess I should have expected it." From where he stood by the car, Angel looked down and checked the clock that lay attached to the inside of the car.

"Ready?" He asked, already feeling the wave of emotions that were flowing through his childe.

"I'm ready." She answered, walking towards the car. "There's just one place I want to go to first."

* * *

As she stood over the grave, Buffy could make out every individual inscription made into the headstone that stood just in front of a pile of fresh dirt. She didn't need a source of light to see everything that lay around her in the dark of night, given that her senses weren't anything like what they had been before. So many things had changed, and the result of one of them lay underneath the soles of her shoes. Stiffening her posture in order to stifle a wave of tears that threatened to overcome her eyes, the vampire offered a fake smile at the tombstone in front of her.

"Hey Mom." She said, crouching down onto her knees as she reached out and traced the name, the depth of the letters flowing underneath her fingertips. "I finally came to see you." She didn't expect anyone or anything to answer her. That was the price of having her mother's blood still stained on her hands. No matter what she did, the lives she saved, nothing would ever erase the blame she held inside her. Every night she opened her eyes, she would think about that single night, how the blood had tasted as it had flowed down her throat. It was the cost, the pain she had to endure for being able to live for the rest of eternity.

"I guess saying 'I'm sorry' won't mean much. I don't even know what to say." She continued, the cold of the headstone underneath her fingers matching how she felt on the inside. "Angel's better now. Willow restored his soul, and she helped me get control of myself again."

"We're leaving to go to L.A. tonight. Seems like these mystical things called the Powers That Be want us to go there to rescue lost souls. Hopefully we won't run into anyone who remembers what I did to the gym." The joke that passed from her lips was a dry one, with there being no humor inside her to even attempt to make herself laugh. Feeling something wet slowly moving down her cheek, she let the tear continue on its path until it reached her chin and then fell to the ground beneath her. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I never told you about what I was, being the Slayer and all. I wanted to so ad but I could never go through with it. Every time I tried, it came out wrong. And now you're gone, and it's all my fault." Kissing her palm, she laid her hand over her mother's name, and tried to smile. "I love you."

* * *

Ahead in the distance, the lights of the so called 'City of Angels' continued to shine brightly against the pitch black darkness of the night. Leaning her head back down against her sire's shoulder, Buffy closed her eyes and felt protected against anything outside of that single moment. Both of them had agreed that Angel should drive, considering the notorious reputation that surrounded the former Slayer's driving abilities. Pulling money out of some long forgotten bank account from somewhere within the middle of Western Europe, the sire had managed to buy another car, considering the fact that Spike and his vehicle were long gone since that night at the Mansion. Faith hadn't been seen since that time as well, but Giles seemed unsure of what to feel regarding the new Slayer he had under his guidance.

The visit to her mother's grave still weighed heavily on the childe's mind. To see the harsh cold reality of what the Demon had done, even more so than the scars she had felt on Willow, had been enough to effectively break down the vampire's hard exterior that she had been working on rebuilding. Angel had waited for her to return from the grave, and as she come closer to him, he had gathered her into his arms, not saying anything but simply holding her. He had been unsure of what else to do, his mind having drawn blank thought after blank thought. But she had been able to pick up on that feeling of comfort and almost entirely melted into his embrace. At that single moment, he had been her anchor in the world, the sole thing that kept her emotions in a somewhat degree of calm.

Opening her eyes for a moment, she again stared ahead at the lights that glowed in the distance, and for the first time in weeks, she felt at peace. No matter what darkness the future may have held in store for herself and her mate, they had already survived one of the worst storms that either of them could imagine, and had become stronger for it.

Despite the non-beating heart inside her chest, she felt more alive than ever before.


End file.
